


You’ll Never Be an Afterthought to Me

by chikylee



Category: My Time At Portia (Video Game)
Genre: Arlo Deserves Happiness, Drunkenness, Established Relationship, F/M, Flashbacks, Friends to Lovers, Fuck Higgins, Happy Ending, I don’t understand science, I love Mali, Light Angst, Love Confessions, Rejection, Self-Doubt, Smut, Spoilers, Sweet Self Doubting Boy, sweet cinnamon rolls
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-03-09 05:54:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 20,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18910906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chikylee/pseuds/chikylee
Summary: Aurelia, the new builder, finally confessed her feelings to Arlo, but he rejected her.Arlo is in love with her, but he definitely doesn’t believe that he deserves her affections.Sam just wants them to talk and get together so she doesn’t have to kill her boss for making her friend cry.





	1. Frustration

**Author's Note:**

> I had planned for this to be a one shot, but the ideas kept coming! So instead of one long story I’m breaking it up into several smaller chapters. This way I can also warn when the smut is incoming, since not everyone likes reading that kind of stuff. Enjoy!

_ Right jab.  _

_ Left swing _

_ Right.  _

_ Right.  _

_ Left.  _

Arlo showed no mercy to the training dummy in the main room of Civil Corps headquarters. He always trained hard, but tonight was different- he was like a man possessed, punching at the dummy as if his life depended on it. With every swing he tried to drown out the venomous, mocking voice in his head, but it seemed to only get louder:

_ Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.  _

Arlo gave a guttural yell and punched harder, pushing himself past any threshold of pain he may have had as he ignored how his body ached and his muscles screamed for relief. It had been hours, but he didn’t want to stop; he couldn’t let his mind be unoccupied.

_ Stupid! _

He was so distracted that he didn’t even notice when Remington and Sam walked in the front door.

“Jeez Captain, you ditched us for a date with a dummy? Harsh!” Remy laughed, his deep baritone voice filling the room. 

Arlo ignored him, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Sam nudge Remy and smirk.

“Nah, I’m guessing he ditched us for a date with a certain Builder we all know and love. He’s probably working out some “frustration” that comes with taking a new relationship slow.” 

_ Stupid! Stupid!  _

The training dummy began to crack under the power of Arlo’s punches and his fellow Civil Corps officers looked at each other.

“Arlo?”

_ Right swing.  _

_ Left jab.  _

_ Stupid! _

“Did something happen while you were out on your date?”

Arlo grit his teeth, the mocking voice reverberating through his entire skull.

_ Stupid!  _

_ Stupid! _

_ STUPID!! _

With one last yell and a massive punch from Arlo the training dummy crumbled to the floor, but without skipping a beat Arlo turned his attention to the wall behind where the dummy had once stood and began punching the solid wood. Remington and Sam ran forward and each grabbed one of his arms, holding him back. 

“Arlo, stop!” Remy yelled as Arlo tried to pull out of their grasps. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you!?” Sam added.

They pushed Arlo back into the center of the room and away from the wall. He was a panting mess, his knuckles bruised and bloodied from the hours of sparring he had just done. He looked up at Sam and Remy, and his two best friends and coworkers were shocked by the look in his eyes- they had expected rage, or even fear, but not anguish. 

“You want to know what the fuck is wrong with me?” He hissed. “I’m the biggest fucking idiot to have ever lived in the Free Cities.”

“What? Arlo, you’re a brilliant man, why would you-“ Remy began to speak, but Arlo barked out a harsh laugh that cut him off. 

“Would a brilliant man deny the affections of the woman he absolutely adores and then ruin their friendship?” 

Sam gasped, but Arlo continued. 

“Cowardly? Yes. Idiotic? Indeed. But brilliant? Not a chance.”

“Wait- so when Aurelia gave you the heart knot today you denied her!?” 

“How did you know she was going to give me the heart knot?” 

“Because she told me! She’s my friend too, remember?” Sam practically spat out the last word as she stared at Arlo with her hand on her hips. 

“Why would you deny her? You’re crazy about that girl,” Remy added. 

“I already said why- I’m an idiot and a coward.”

“But that’s not a real reaso-“

Without another word Arlo turned away from his friends and marched into his room, slamming the door behind him. 

Once Arlo was alone he realized, to his horror, that no matter what he did he couldn’t stop replaying his rejection of Aurelia over and over in his head. 

_ As soon as they had jogged through the town gates Aurelia had looked over her shoulder at Arlo and smirked at him.  _

_ “Race ya to the waterfall!” she yelled as she took off sprinting down the road.  _

_ Arlo couldn’t help grinning, but he’d be damned if he was going to let her win. The two were neck and neck the whole way as they dodged colorful llamas and Qiwa, who just rolled his eyes after them as he continued on to his favorite fishing spot.  _

_ Aurelia was only feet away from their designated jogging spot when Arlo found one last burst of speed, and managed to pull ahead of her at the very last second. He triumphantly raised his arms in the air as Aurelia bent over and tried to catch her breath.  _

_ “Good… Race!” She panted out.  _

_ “You’re getting a lot better, you know. I honestly thought you were going to beat me.”  _

_ “Someday,” she said with a smile.  _

_ The two stood in silence- save for some remaining heavy breathing- as they admired the beauty of the waterfall and the wonderfully warm Summer day they had found themselves in.  _

_ “Arlo?”  _

_ He turned to face his friend. _

_ “What’s up Aura?”  _

_ Without another word she reached into her pocket and, with trembling fingers, drew out a heart knot.  _

_ “I… I can’t deny how strong my feelings are for you anymore, Arlo. You make me feel welcome, and safe, and… and whole.”  _

_ She blushed a bright crimson but didn’t break eye contact. Arlo stared at her as his brain struggled to process the elation that was coursing through it. Aura worried her bottom lip between her teeth as she waited for an answer, and Arlo felt something inside of him snap. In one swift movement he had brought his hands up to her cheeks and pressed his lips to hers in a hungry, passionate kiss. She returned the kiss in an instant as she ran her hands through his hair, drawing a low groan from his throat. He pushed Aura back against the large weeping willow tree they had been standing under as he slid his tongue into her mouth and deepened the kiss. Aura moaned as she returned his kiss with equal ferocity and moved so their bodies were flush against one another. Arlo moved his lips from her mouth to her neck and left tiny, sucking kisses that were sure to leave marks. Aura moaned again before giggling.  _

_ “So is that a yes?”  _

_ Arlo pulled back from her neck and stared into her eyes again, but just as he was about to confirm that he felt the same way, that maybe he had even stronger feelings than she did, his stomach dropped and his heart began to race. This was everything he wanted- why did he suddenly feel sick? _

_ “You’re going to give up your dream of joining the Flying Pigs for some pretty face?” A voice called out in his brain. _

_ “After all you’ve worked for!” Another said.  _

_ He could drown those voices out- Aura had always been vocal about her support of his dreams. But it was a small, sad voice that finally broke through that wrecked him. _

_ “You’re not good enough for her. You’ll NEVER be good enough for her.” _

_ Arlo pulled away from Aurelia as if he had been burned.  _

_ “Arlo?” _

_ She reached out to him but he stepped away while thrusting the heart knot back into her open hand.  _

_ “No. I can’t. I’m… I’m sorry.” _

_ He turned and ran back to town, never once looking back. _

Arlo ran his hands through his fiery red hair as he paced around his room. Everything he wanted had been within arm’s reach, and he had pushed it away. And not just pushed it away- he had torpedoed any chance of them remaining friends the second he pulled away from their kiss and ran away without offering an explanation. 

Their kiss… Arlo paused in his pacing and remembered the softness of her lips, how their bodies had felt pressed together, the sound of the moan that had escaped from her lips… he shook his head, hard. He didn’t need to remember all that- he didn’t deserve to. He didn’t deserve to be aroused right now. Hell, he didn’t even deserve that kiss in the first place. 

A sharp knock on his door jolted him out of his self-hating reverie. 

“What do you want?” 

Sam’s voice answered. 

“You to stop being an idiot and go talk to her.”

“No.” 

“Why not!?” 

Arlo sighed. 

“Sam, please. Just leave me alone.”

“Bring her a commission for a new training dummy as a way to break the ice.” 

Arlo paused as he thought about how it would look to approach her so soon just to hand off a commission. He shuddered and shook his head before flipping off his light and heading towards his bed. 

“Give it to Higgins, Sam, and leave me alone.” 


	2. Puffy Eyes

Aurelia laid in bed and listened to Sophie’s rooster crow. Normally she’d be just waking up now, but sleep hadn’t come the night before. Despite all the tossing and turning all she’d been able to think about was Arlo, which led to her wondering what she had done wrong, which led to crying. She sighed as she looked into the small hand mirror she kept on her nightstand- her eyes were red and puffy, and no amount of makeup would be able to hide it. She started wondering if it would be feasible to hide in her house all day when there was a firm knock on her door. Aurelia hesitated- she really did not want anyone seeing her like this.

“Aurelia? I know you’re in there.”

Aura sighed as she shuffled to the door. It was Sam, who, judging by the sound of her voice, already knew what was going on. Aura opened the door and squinted into the bright sunlight that outlined her dear friend.

“You look like shit, Aura.”

“Thanks.”

Sam put her hands on her hips and frowned as an angry flush rose to her cheeks.

“I’m going to murder Arlo.”

Aura opened her mouth to respond but an unbidden sob came out instead. She turned away from her friend as she tried to keep herself from crying, but as soon as Sam pulled her close Aura couldn’t hold it together.

“I just don’t know what I did wrong, Sam. I… I t-thought he liked me b-back.”

“Shhhh, it’s okay sweetie.”

“N-no it’s not. I thought when he k-kissed me it meant something but I was wrong.”

“Wait.” Sam pulled back slightly so she could see Aurelia’s face. “He kissed you??”

Aura nodded, unable to form words as a new wave of tears overtook her.

Sam looked dumbfounded.

“So, let me get this straight. You confessed your feelings, he KISSED YOU, and then rejected you?”

Aura nodded again.

“I was kidding before but I legit need to go murder my boss.”

Aura shook her head and took several deep breaths to calm herself down.

“It’s okay, Sam.”

“But it’s not!”

Aura held up her hand to Sam.

“You’re right, it’s- it’s not. But it has to be because he was pretty clear that he doesn’t like me. I guess the kiss was just a test for him or something, to see if it would work. I don’t know...”

“Aura, you and I both know that Arlo isn’t the type to do something like that. He can be a damn idiot, but he’d never use something as deep as a kiss to just try and figure out if he liked you.”

Aurelia frowned. She knew that, of course, but it hurt too much for her to think otherwise. To think that, maybe, he did have feelings for her. Sam seemed to know what she was thinking and put her arm around her friend.

“Look, I don’t know what happened in that brain of his, but I know he cares about you. You two just need to talk it out.”

Aura shook her head.

“I don’t know, Sam. I mean, I’m okay talking with him but I really, really don’t feel like having more sleepless nights and random sobbing attacks.”

Sam gave a small smile.

“That’s understandable, Aura. Take a few days, but I really think you should talk with him sooner rather than later.”

Aura nodded, already feeling anxious about it but knowing Sam was right. He wouldn’t have kissed her _like that_ if he didn’t have feelings for her. Would he?

“Hey, I have an idea! Come to the Round Table with me tonight! It’s a Friday, so all our friends will be there, but usually the Civil Corps goes on Thursday’s so you don’t have to worry about seeing Arlo and getting sad. Plus it’ll make you feel better if you shower and get all dolled up instead of hiding inside all day in your pajamas.”

“That’s true… and I do love getting dressed up,” Aura gave a small smile. “Alright, what time?

“10:00?”

“Sounds good,” Aura smiled.

Sam stayed to chat for a few minutes, mainly assuring her friend that Arlo was crazy about her but he probably panicked for some dumb reason. It truthfully made Aura more nervous, but a small crack of hope was beginning to form in her anxiety. Maybe it would all be okay.

After Sam left Aura went out to check on her furnaces. She knew she should go into town and get a commission, but she wasn’t ready to face anyone, especially since her eyes were still puffy and swollen. She decided to spend the day chopping down trees, mining the rocks along the outside of Portia’s walls, and re-organizing her storage chests. All in all it ended up being a productive day, even with the two hour nap she managed to sneak in after lunch.

The long, hot shower Aura took was exactly what she needed to finish feeling like herself again, and as she looked into the mirror in her bathroom she was pleased to note that only the smallest hint of puffiness remained around her eyes. She wrapped herself in a towel as she went through her closet. She mainly only had work clothes these days, but she had held onto some cute going-out clothes from when she lived in Barnarock. After pulling out several outfits before deciding they wouldn’t work, she settled on a black crop top with straps and a pair of very short black overalls, although she left one side unbuttoned, which showed a peak of her abdomen. Aura paired it with a pair of black strappy wedges. She left her long strawberry blonde hair down and wavy, and did some simple and casual- yet still striking- makeup. She laughed when she saw herself- she looked _good_ , but she realized the people of Portia had never seen their newest builder all cleaned up.

Aura looked at the clock and saw that it was 9:45. She took a deep breath, slipped some gols and her lipstick into her pocket, and headed towards the Round Table.


	3. Peach

Arlo had spent the better part of his day off glued to the bar at the Round Table drinking anything Django put in front of him. Several Portians had tried to make small talk with the captain throughout the day but he’d made it clear he wasn’t in a talking mood. After finishing his sixth drink (or was it his seventh?) Arlo looked up at the clock. 

“Ten already?” he thought. 

He shrugged and was getting ready to stumble home for the night when the door opened and Sam walked in with… a woman he didn’t recognize? Arlo was confused- Sam hadn’t mentioned anyone coming to visit her, and he though several tourists came in on the weekends he at least recognized most of them. Even in his liquored up, woozy state he noticed how most of the men- and some of the women- in the Round Table started preening themselves; even Django smoothed back his hair and tried to discreetly groom his mustache. 

“Why does everyone seem to know her?” Arlo wondered. “And why does she look so damn familiar?”

Sonia’s voice suddenly cut through the air. 

“Like, oh my god, Aurelia?” 

It hit Arlo like a slap in the face. It  _ was _ Aurelia. He felt like an idiot for not recognizing her. How often had he looked into those bright violet-blue eyes, or imagined running his fingers through her soft strawberry blonde hair? And her smile- her smile always blew him away; how had he not recognized her by her smile, at the very least? 

_ Because you’re an idiot who doesn’t deserve her. _

Arlo flinched. The voices in his head had kept him up all night, reminding him about what a fuck up he was, how he’d ruined his chance at true love, etc. He’d been drinking all day to drown the voices out, and he wasn’t about to let them back in now. 

As he shook his head and managed to break out of his internal self-loathing, Arlo realized he was being watched. He looked up and saw Sam glaring at him. If looks could kill, Arlo knew he’d be a dead man. He gulped as she made his way over to him.

“If you upset Aura even once tonight, you’ll be sorry. Got it?” Sam jabbed a finger into Arlo’s chest as she spoke. 

Normally Arlo would warn her about speaking to her captain that way, but he just nodded, silent, and turned back to his drink and the bar. He felt Sam’s presence lingering behind him, and then heard her sigh.

“Look, Arlo. I don’t know what your brain is doing to you, but you need to talk to Aurelia about yesterday. Not tonight. But soon. If my two best friends stay this miserable for too long I swear I’ll lose my mind.” 

Arlo turned around to look at Sam, the same anguish from last night filling his eyes again.

“She won’t want to talk to me, Sam. I really fucked things up.” 

“I know Arlo. She told me. And yeah, part of me wants you to leave her alone forever and let her move on, but I know you’re in love with her, and I know something happened in that brain of yours to make you panic so… just talk to her soon and make it right? Please?” 

Arlo nodded, but said nothing. Sam’s use of the word “love” had made him anxious. Of course he cared about Aura, but did he love her? He thought back to a night a few weeks prior where he had ran into Aurelia unexpectedly in Peach Plaza:

_ It was Arlo’s turn to take the overnight patrol. It was late, almost 3 AM, when he walked down the path from the church into Peach Plaza. He enjoyed the stillness of the night, and although he loved Portia and protecting her citizens, he didn’t mind being away from them every once in a while. As he entered the Plaza, however, he realized he wasn’t alone. Aurelia was sitting with her feet in the fountain, staring up at the statue of Peach. Arlo walked over to her and was about to make a joke about her being up so late when she broke the silence.  _

_ “Do you think he was ever afraid?” _

_ “I’m sorry?” _

_ “Peach.” Aurelia gestured to the statue. “Do you think he was ever afraid?”  _

_ “I don’t know.” Arlo answered. _

_ He was being honest. Peach was akin to a god; afterall, he was the singular reason why the Age of Darkness had come to an end. He was a hero, and no one ever spoke about him in less than heroic terms.  _

_ “Arlo?” _

_ “Yes, Aurelia?” _

_ “Are you ever afraid?”  _

_ “Yes,” he whispered.  _

_ Aurelia nodded. Arlo stood there contemplating her question and his answer. He didn’t like to admit weakness, but was being afraid in scary situations actually weak? He didn’t think so.  _

_ “I don’t feel afraid very often, you know. But when I do… I don’t know, if it’s scary it’s worth doing I think. Fighting monsters and rogue AI’s can be terrifying, but I know it’s worth it to protect my fellow Portians. Does that make sense?”  _

_ For the first time since their conversation began, Aurelia turned and looked at Arlo. She had given him a full, earnest smile and nodded- her smile made Arlo’s heart beat faster.  _

_ “I think Peach was a lot like you, Arlo.”  _

_ “What?” Arlo asked, flabbergasted. He was nothing like the legendary Peach.  _

_ Aurelia gave a bright, crisp laugh.  _

_ “Don’t act like that.” _

_ “Act like what?” _

_ “All ‘I don’t deserve to be compared to Peach’!” _

_ “I don’t though.” _

_ “Oh hush Arlo. You both do what’s right for the greater good even when it’s terrifying and you both care so deeply about other people that you’d give your lives to protect them- even strangers! Plus,” Aurelia added, smirking, “you're both pretty handsome.”  _

_ Arlo stared at her, dumbfounded and in awe. He’d never gotten a compliment of that caliber before. And she thought he was handsome? He couldn’t help but blush at that. Aurelia had gone back to staring at the statue and Arlo wanted to know more about why she was out so late. _

_ “So… do you come out here a lot this late?”  _

_ “No, this is the first time. I’ve just wanted to get some time alone with the statue and you can’t really do that during the day.”  _

_ “Why do you want to be alone with the Peach statue?” _

_ Aurelia shrugged.  _

_ “I don’t know. I just felt drawn to it.”  _

_ Arlo understood. It was probably the same way he was drawn to the Flying Pigs statue outside of Civil Corps HQ. The two were silent for a few minutes before Aurelia spoke again.  _

_ “I know lots of builders say they want to be like Peach because they want to invent something amazing and life changing, but that’s not why I want to be like Peach.” _

_ Arlo stood silently, waiting for Aurelia to keep speaking. In a voice so quiet that Arlo almost couldn’t make out her words above the gentle splashing of the fountain, Aurelia continued:  _

_ “I just want to be remembered.”  _

_ “Remembered? Like, famous?” Arlo asked.  _

_ “No,” Aurelia said, shaking her head. “I just want someone to remember me. My mom died when I was young, and my dad had left us behind long before that. Giving me his old workshop was the first contact I’d had with him in years. Between that, and being overlooked for commissions because I was the only female student builder in Barnarock, I just…” she paused, staring back up at Peach. “... I just don’t want to be an afterthought anymore.”  _

_ “You’ll never be an afterthought to me.”  _

_ Aurelia looked back at him in surprise. Arlo was surprised too- the words has just jumped out of him before he could stop them, but as he analyzed them he realized it was true. Aurelia had become a good friend since she’d arrived, and he was always going out of his way to seek her out for a game of darts or a jog.  _

_ Aurelia stood up from the fountain and walked to Arlo. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tight, which he was eager to return. It just felt so right, holding her in the middle of town, under the stars.  _

_ “You love her,” a tiny voice whispered deep in his heart.  _

_ Before Arlo had a chance to debate the voice inside of him, Aurelia broke the hug and stood back to look at Arlo. _

_ “Thanks for chatting with me, Arlo.”  _

_ “It was my pleasure. Would you like me to walk you home?”  _

_ “No, I’m alright. Thanks though.”  _

_ The two stood in silence for a moment, not sure how to say goodbye; not sure if they were ready to say goodbye.  _

_ “Arlo?”  _

_ “Hmm?”  _

_ Aurelia leaned up and kissed his cheek.  _

_ “Goodnight.” _

_ She smiled before walking away in the direction of her workshop. Arlo stood rooted to the spot in Peach Plaza, hand on his cheek and heart thumping wildly. _

_ “You love her,” the voice said again, and this time, Arlo just accepted it.  _

He did love her. Arlo took another deep swig of his drink- Sam was right.

He realized he had completely zoned out while he was remembering the events at Peach Plaza from a few weeks ago, but when he turned back to see where Aura and Sam had gone, his mouth went dry. Aurelia was in a conversation with Albert, Gust, and Dr. Xu, and it was easy to see that the three men were flirting shamelessly. Well, Albert was flirting shamelessly, but the other two men were trying to flirt. Aurelia was laughing, and at one point put a hand on Gust’s forearm. Arlo turned back to the bar and ordered another drink- he wanted her to laugh with  _ him _ , put her hand on  _ his _ forearm. Sam was right again, he needed to talk to her sooner rather than later. 


	4. Hungover

Everything was fuzzy when Arlo woke up the next morning, but he instantly knew something was wrong- This definitely wasn’t his bed, or Civil Corps HQ. He sat up as panic set in- the last thing he remembered from the night before was turning around to not watch Albert, Gust, and Dr. Xu flirt with Aura. A chill swept through his body- since he wasn’t at HQ he must have gone home with someone. Had he slept with someone? In his state? He groaned and flopped back down on the bed he’d found himself in as shame, nausea, and a killer headache overtook him. He wanted to die. If he slept with someone then there was no way he could talk to Aura about a relationship. And what would he say to whoever he had slept with?

“ _ See? You don’t deserve her,” _ the wicked voice in his head said, laughing. 

He groaned again, shutting his eyes tight and wishing he could wake up and it would all just be a dream, he’d wake up at HQ hungover and sad but not in a panic, he’d still have a chance with Aura, his life wouldn’t be a mess…

“Arlo?” 

His eyes shot open and he popped up into a sitting position, staring, open mouthed. 

“Aura!?”

“At your service,” she said with a small smile. “I thought I’d heard you and I wanted to check on you. How are you feeling, besides hungover?”

“I…” Arlo couldn’t get the words out. 

Aura placed a large glass of water and some headache medication on the side table. 

“Take those and drink the water. I’m about to make breakfast, and not to brag but I make a pretty perfect hangover cure,” she giggled. “If you need anything, just call or come get me.” 

Aura turned to leave the room and head back towards the kitchen. 

“Did we sleep together?” Arlo blurted out. 

Aura turned, a faint blush coloring her face.

“No.” 

“Okay, I just… I don’t remember anything and I wanted to… check.” Arlo blushed. “Sorry.” 

Aura gave a small sigh and headed back into the room to sit on the edge of the bed. She stared at nothing in particular for a few moments. 

“You were in a bad way, Arlo. You had left the bar and I was worried about you so I followed to make sure you’d get home alright. But instead of going back to Civil Corps HQ you came here.” Aura paused. “You were waiting for me, and as soon as I walked up you tried to tell me something but you ended up vomiting and almost passing out. So I brought you inside, cleaned you up as best as I could, and put you to bed.” 

Arlo grimaced. What a damn fool he was. 

“Aura, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. Things happen. You were drunk. I’m just glad I could help you.” 

“So… where did you sleep?” 

“On the couch.”

“Aura, you could have put me on the couch,” Arlo said, guilt coloring his features. “I feel awful.” 

“Well you did drink a lot,” Aura teased.

Arlo frowned and shook his head.

“That’s not why I feel awful.”

“Hey.” Aura placed a soft hand on Arlo’s cheek. “Look at me.” 

Arlo looked up into Aura’s beautiful eyes and felt his heart skip a beat. There was no malice or pity in her eyes, just concern. Arlo swore he saw something else too, something softer and more loving, flash in her eyes, but he shook his head- that had to have been his imagination. 

“I don’t deserve you, Aura.”

“Hush, you’re being ridiculous.” 

“It’s true. This moment right here proves it. I was a drunken fool and you still took me in and cared for me. You’re the kindest woman I’ve ever met, with a heart so big that I think you could fit the whole world in it. And I’m just…” 

“Perfect,” Aura whispered. 

“What?” 

“I think you’re perfect, Arlo.” 

He couldn’t help but laugh at her, and turned away from the softness of her hand on his cheek.” 

“I’m far from perfect, Aura,” he mumbled. 

“To me, perfect doesn’t mean flawless, Arlo. It means doing what’s right even when it’s hard, and being true to yourself no matter what. You’re the perfect Arlo, if that makes sense.” 

“Why do you care about me?” Arlo blurted out. “After rejecting you the other day I thought you’d never speak to me again, and here you are nursing my sorry hungover self back to health and calling me perfect.” 

Aura paused, chewing on her bottom lip as she thought about what to say. Arlo noticed several small bruises on her neck from where he had kissed her two days ago, and he felt ashamed. He’d marked her as if she was his to mark, when that was the furthest thing from the truth. Aura looked up at Arlo and noticed him staring at her neck, but she didn’t try to hide the bruises with her hair or move her head to conceal them. 

“I…” Aura began carefully, taking her time. “I care about you for lots of reasons. But…” she paused. “I don’t think you care about yourself, and I want to show you all the reasons why you should care.” 

Aura leaned forward and moved Arlo’s hair out of his eyes. He stared at her, waiting anxiously for what she’d say or do next. He wondered if she could hear his rapid heartbeat. 

“Arlo,” she whispered. “I don’t know what’s happened in your life to make you feel as though you’re not a good man, but please… trust me when I say you’re a  _ great  _ man. That you’re the kind of man I’ve dreamed of meeting for my whole life. You’re brave and honest; you always do what’s right no matter how hard it is; you’re hilarious and witty and can play a mean round of darts. You’re deep, like the ocean, but as open as the sky once someone earns your trust. You have dreams that no one can sway, and your work ethic is incomparable. You’re a  _ great man _ , Arlo. And I’ll remind you of all that and more every day if I have to, until I get you to believe me.”

As Aura spoke the two had moved closer until their lips were only a hair’s breadth apart. Arlo’s mind was racing at thousands of miles an hour.

_ “You love her!” _

_ “You don’t deserve her!” _

_ “Did you not listen to anything she just said?” _

_ “She was being nice, ignore her, back away, run away.” _

_ “No! Kiss her! You love her!” _

Arlo took a deep breath to silence the conflicting emotions coursing through him- he did love her, and that was the most important thing. And if she thought he was worth confessing to, if she believed that he was actually a great man, then maybe he did deserve her, even if he couldn’t see it yet himself. 

“Aura?”

“Yes?” 

“Can I kiss you?”

Aura pulled back slightly and shook her head no. 

“Oh… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to presume, I-“

Aura rested her finger against Arlo’s lips to quiet him. 

“It’s not that I don’t want you to, I just know that you haven’t brushed your teeth after being sick last night, and that’s gross,” she tried to smirk but ended up laughing instead. 

Arlo slapped a hand across his mouth, which made Aura laugh even louder. 

“I’m going to go make breakfast. Finish drinking your water and then come join me. We still have to talk about things.” 

Arlo grinned at her as he reached for the glass on the bedside table. 

“Sounds like a good plan to me.” 


	5. Breakfast

The smell of sizzling bacon lured Arlo out from Aurelia’s bedroom after he finished his glass of water. He smiled when he saw Aurelia sweeping around her kitchen and managing several frying pans at once. Arlo had eaten her cooking many times, but he’d never actually had the privilege of watching her cook. Aurelia shot him a smile as he shuffled into the kitchen. 

“Sit. I’ll have a heaping helping of ‘Aura’s Awesome Hangover Cure’ ready in just a few minutes,” she said as she turned back to the stove. 

Arlo was all too happy to comply, as standing wasn’t the best decision he’d made all morning. Then again, he hadn’t been making very many good decisions lately, period. He frowned- Aurelia wanted to talk things through, but even though they’d had a great conversation just a little while earlier, Arlo was still anxious. He shook his head and decided to focus on Aurelia instead of his anxiety. Even while making breakfast she was graceful, and as she twirled around her kitchen Arlo couldn’t help but imagine waking up to Aurelia’s smile and cooking every morning. He could picture the two of them, lost in domestic bliss; he would surprise her and wake up early to make  _ her _ breakfast, even though his cooking skills were amateur, at best. He could almost feel her snuggled up against him as they both postponed starting their day- maybe sharing in some sleepy morning sex, maybe someday being woken up by a little boy or girl with red hair and violet eyes…

“Hello, earth to Arlo?”

Arlo shook his head and blinked- Aurelia was standing in front of him, head cocked to the side and  holding a plate of food. 

“Sorry, I just… zoned out.”

“Yeah, that happens when you’re hungover. The world’s too exhausting, then next thing you know it’s been 20 minutes and all you’ve done is stare at a wall,” Aurelia laughed. 

Aurelia set the plate of breakfast in front of Arlo, and his mouth instantly started to water- she’d made him a breakfast sandwich that seemed to be mainly made up of bacon, with at least three eggs stuffed in between. Arlo didn’t hesitate to take a bite, and when he did he closed his eyes in bliss. The sandwich was greasy, salty, and spicy; Aurelia hadn’t been lying when she said it was the perfect hangover cure. He swallowed his mouthful and looked up at Aurelia.

“Aura. This is amazing!”

“I know,” she smirked.  

“How did you get it to taste like this? I mean, I’ve had egg and bacon sandwiches before, but this is something else.”

“Sorry, but that’s classified information. I can’t go around sharing my super secret recipe with just anyone.” 

“What!? Even  _ me _ ?” Arlo batter his eyelashes at Aurelia, making her laugh. 

“Yep, even you, Arlo.”

“Alright, fine. So who gets to be in the exclusive club of people who know this recipe then?” 

“I’ve never shared it with anyone before. So I guess it would have to be someone really special.” Aurelia smirked before taking a bite out of her own sandwich; Arlo had to avert his eyes when she ran her tongue over her lips after chewing. 

“Well, hypothetically, what would one have to do to be considered special enough?” Arlo took another bite and looked at Aurelia. The flirty tension between them was almost unbearable. 

“Hmmm…” Aurelia paused, tapping a finger to her chin as she mimicked being deep in thought. “There’s a few things someone could do to become special enough to learn the recipe: they could save my life, they could offer me an insane amount of gols, or they could be my partner in the most mind-blowing sex of all time.” 

Arlo spit out the water he’d been drinking and began to cough violently.

“O-oh. I see…” he stuttered after recovering from his coughing fit. 

“Mhmm…” Aurelia hummed after taking another bite of her sandwich. 

The two finished breakfast in relative silence, which Arlo was thankful for. His chest was already tight from the anxiety he felt, and it didn’t help that he was trying to control his racing mind after Aurelia’s comment about “mind-blowing sex.” Arlo would be lying if he said he had never fantasized about sex with Aurelia, but now was hardly the time to go down that path- that train of thought was better followed when he was completely alone and behind the safety of a locked door. 

After they finished eating Arlo insisted on doing the dishes while Aurelia went to go get dressed and ready for the day. He knew he needed to head back to Civil Corps HQ, change his clothes, and start his patrol, but he really didn’t want to leave. He was lost in thought again when Aurelia came back to the kitchen, and he dropped the clean plate he’d been holding back into her sink when she touched his arm to get his attention. 

“I know you need to go soon, but I was hoping we could still talk?”

“Of course, Aura.”

They sat back down, across from one another, at Aurelia’s kitchen table, and spent the first minute or so avoiding eye contact, until Aurelia finally broke the silence. 

“Why did you reject me?” 

Arlo gulped. 

“I…” he hesitated. “I just… I panicked.”

“Yeah, that was obvious,” she replied, a hint of a smile playing at her lips. 

_ Okay, so she’s not pissed. But I guess I knew that from our earlier talk. _

“Is it because of the Flying Pigs?” 

“Huh? Why would the Flying Pigs have anything to do with this?” 

“Well, once you make it you’ll be leaving, and…” 

“I can lo- be with someone from a distance, Aura.” 

“I suppose…”

“Aura,” Arlo grabbed her hands and stared into her eyes. “Besides Sam and Remy you’ve been my biggest supporter in trying for the Flying Pigs. I know you support me and my dream. That’s not at all the reason I rejected you.” 

“Then why did you?” 

Arlo could see the pain in Aurelia’s eyes, and he realized that using the Flying Pigs as a scapegoat would have been much easier for her to hear than telling the truth. He sighed. 

“I already mentioned it once this morning- I just don’t feel like I deserve you.” 

“We already went talked about how that was a shitty statement.” 

“Yeah, I know, but you asked why I rejected you and that was it. These self-doubting voices in my head left me feeling empty, and I’d never want to make you feel empty too.” 

“You won’t, Arlo.”

“I wouldn’t intentionally, ever.” 

“That’s all I could hope to ask for.” 

“Aura…”  he paused. He wanted to be with her more than anything, but there was still some lingering anxiety. “I want to make you happy. I want take you on dates around town. I want fall asleep with you and wake up beside you…”

“But…” Aurelia whispered.

“But I’m scared,” he admitted. 

“Me too. We both have big plans and big dreams and I sometimes worry there isn’t enough room for all of them. But you know, a wise man once told me that ‘ _ if it’s scary it’s worth doing.’”  _

Arlo huffed out a laugh and gripped Aurelia’s hands tighter as he recognized his own words. 

“Then this must be the most worthy endeavor of all time because I’ve never been this scared of anything.” 

“I just want to try. I can’t imagine living my whole life wondering ‘what if,’ ya know?”

“Then I guess we shouldn’t wonder anymore, huh?” Arlo grinned. 

Aurelia jumped to her feet and pulled Arlo up into an embrace. 

“You mean it?” 

“More than I’ve ever meant anything else.”

Aurelia laughed as a happy tear slipped from her eye and she held Arlo close. 

“I really want to kiss you Arlo.” She laughed as Arlo immediately tried to kiss her. “Nah uh, you still haven’t brushed your teeth, but lucky for you, I have a spare toothbrush in the drawer.” 

Arlo released Aurelia and strode towards the bathroom in a hurry. 

“Give me five minutes, and I promise to provide the most amazing, minty fresh kiss you’ve ever had.” 

Aurelia laughed again. 

“I’m going to hold you to that.” 


	6. Bedtime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SMUT ALERT!
> 
> If smut isn’t your thing, then you’ll wanna skip this chapter. Sorry for any inconvenience!

Summer turned into Fall as Aurelia and Arlo were getting used to their new relationship. At first the pair tried to be discreet about it, but after one too many shared meals at the Round Table Sonia put two-and-two together, which meant the whole town knew a day later. Aurelia had laughed it off, which helped counter Arlo’s grumpiness about the situation. 

“What, are you embarrassed by me?” Aurelia had laughed one night after no less than ten Portians just so happened to  _ casually _ walk by their booth at the Round Table. 

“No! Of course not! I just don’t want people to think I’m shirking my responsibilities for dates,” Arlo grumbled. 

“Oh Arlo,” Aurelia rolled her eyes and grinned. “Literally no one thinks that or would think that. They’re probably glad you’re doing something fun for once. Now come on, I’m going to escort you home.” 

“ _ You’re _ escorting  _ me _ ?” Arlo scoffed in an amused way. 

“Of course. You never know what’s lurking in the darkness.”

“We’re at the Round Table, and I’m just going to HQ. It’s literally a ten minute walk.” 

“What if Pinky jumps out from the shadows and startles you, causing you to trip and roll your ankle, and there’s no one around to help you to the clinic? Bet ya didn’t think of THAT, did ya?” 

Arlo rolled his eyes but laughed, and when Aurelia offered him her arm, he took it. The two talked and laughed about his “escort” the entire walk back. When they reached the Flying Pigs statue Arlo turned towards Aurelia and leaned in, capturing her lips in a sweet, chaste kiss. 

“Thanks for the walk home, darling.” 

Aurelia grinned up at him.

“I haven’t walked you all the way home yet,” she smirked as she took his hand and started pulling him towards the doors of the Civil Corps HQ. 

Arlo’s heart started to pound and he felt hot. The look she had given him was full of lust and longing, and Arlo trembled a little when she started to pull on his hands. He allowed her to drag him through the front doors and towards his room before stopping her. 

“Aura, what are you doing?” 

“Just making sure you get home safe, handsome.” 

Aurelia pushed open the door to Arlo’s room and practically waltzed inside, leaving Arlo to follow her. He gulped before closing the door behind him. The new couple hadn’t been intimate yet, and although it was something Arlo yearned for, he didn’t want to rush Aurelia. Now he was realizing that probably wasn’t a worry he should have had in the first place. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously while Aurelia settled on the edge of his bed and looked at him. 

“It’s getting late. You should probably get ready for bed,” she said. 

“Aura…” Arlo began, pausing when he saw another smirk light up his girlfriend’s face. 

Aurelia leaned back as she stared at Arlo, the same look from before in her eyes. 

“I’m just enjoying the view,” she giggled. 

Arlo blushed bright red but regained his usual confidence quickly. He loosened the bandana around his neck before taking it off and throwing it on the small table he had by the door. He began to walk towards his bed as he undid his jacket and shrugged it off his shoulders. Aurelia bit her bottom lip as he approached but refused to break eye contact. As he neared the bed he took his shirt and holsters off and Aurelia couldn’t hold back the tiny whine that escaped from her throat. She had always known that Arlo was in great shape, but seeing his lean, cut abdomen and strong arms bare for the first time took her breath away. It was Arlo’s turn to smirk as he leaned down, keeping his lips close- but still infuriatingly far- from Aurelia’s.

“Like what you see?” 

“Fuck yes.” 

Aurelia reached up and placed both hands on either side of Arlo’s face as she pulled him down into a hot, searing kiss; there was nothing tender in their clashing of lips and tongues and teeth. Arlo pushed Aurelia onto her back without breaking their kiss, one knee sliding between her legs and making her moan. The sound reverberated around Arlo’s room and he slapped his palm over her mouth. 

“These walls are horribly thin, and I really don’t want Remi and Sam to hear us,” he murmured. 

Aurelia hummed in thought. 

“That’s going to be a problem then. I tend to be  _ very _ loud when I get intimate.”

“We could go back to your place,” Arlo said, already moving to stand and put his shirt back on.

“So eager,” Aurelia giggled as she pulled on Arlo’s arm so he was sitting next to her on the bed. “I actually have a better idea.” 

As soon as the words left her lips Aurelia slid off of Arlo’s bed and onto her knees in front of him. She looked up at Arlo through her long eyelashes, and was pleased to see her boyfriend staring at her, speechless. 

“You’re a serious, stoic man, Arlo,” Aurelia whispered as she placed a hand high on Arlo’s thigh. “I bet you’d be able to control yourself much more than I could.” 

Aurelia rubbed Arlo’s thigh, her hand creeping closer and closer to the tent in his pants but pulling away just before making contact. Arlo bit his lip as he stared into Aurelia’s violet-blue eyes. He wanted this so much, but he didn’t like the idea of him getting to enjoy the moment while she did all the work. Aurelia seemed to read his mind. 

“You know, I  _ love  _ looking up at you from this position,” she cooed. “I’ve  _ dreamed _ about doing this to you, Arlo.” 

That was more than enough to convince Arlo, who simply nodded his head at Aurelia. Her eyes lit up as a sultry smile crossed her lips. She then turned her attention lower, and Arlo couldn’t help but hold his breath. Aurelia continued to tease him for a few minutes by rubbing up and down his thighs. 

“Please, Aura.” Arlo quietly groaned. “You’re driving me crazy!” 

“How so?” She smirked again. 

“Aura…” 

“Okay, okay. I guess I’ve teased you enough, hm?”

Arlo opened his mouth to agree but a low moan came out instead- Aurelia had chosen that moment to finally rub her hand over Arlo’s still-clothed cock. He moaned again despite willing himself to stay quiet.

“These pants are in the way. Can I take them off,  _ Captain _ ?” Aurelia paused her rubbing as she looked up at Arlo.

“God yes, please.” 

Aurelia didn’t need to be told twice. She grasped the zipper on Arlo’s pants and pulled it down before prompting Arlo to stand slightly so she could pull his grey work jeans and underwear down to his ankles. She made an appreciative noise once his cock was free, and she couldn’t help but admire the length and girth- Arlo was slightly above average length and  _ thick _ . 

“Oh Arlo,” she sighed before giving his cock one long, slow lick from base to tip. 

Arlo sucked his breath in through his teeth and shut his eyes as Aurelia continued her exploratory licking. Her tongue swirled over the underside of his shaft before she ran it around the tip over and over again.

“Arlo,” she whispered, “look at me.”

Arlo looked down at his girlfriend and felt ready to explode from the sight before him: Aurelia had her lips slightly open, poised at the tip of his cock; a thin line of spit connected them. Even though she was fully clothed it was still the sexiest thing Arlo had ever seen.

Aurelia leaned forward while holding eye contact with Arlo and wrapped her lips around the head of his dick. She decided to take things slow and just barely inched along his cock as she took him deeper down her throat, relishing in his facial expressions that showed just how quickly he was losing control. Aurelia finally reached the base of his shaft and held herself there for a few moments, enjoying the feel of Arlo’s manhood in her mouth, before sliding back to the tip. She took a few deep breaths before winking at Arlo and starting her slow descent downwards again, this time adding in her hand to caress the parts of his shaft her mouth wasn’t touching. 

“Aura...” Arlo panted, but he was unable to finish his thought as Aurelia sped up her movements. 

Her hand began lightly twisting around him while she sucked, and her tongue eagerly mimicked the motions of her hand. She moved to focus on the tip of Arlo’s cock before sliding down again, and alternated moving up and down before finally taking as much of him into her mouth as she could while still pumping her hand over his warm, velvety skin. Aurelia looked up at Arlo and felt something stir deep within her core when she saw his eyes roll back slightly as he tilted his head up as if he was in silent prayer. Aurelia couldn’t believe the ecstasy written plainly across his face, and she began to moan around Arlo’s cock. She couldn’t stop; she was aroused, wet, and desperate to bring Arlo to his end. 

“Oh fuck Aura! Your moans…” he hissed. “I-I’m not… I can’t… FUCK!” 

Arlo bucked his hips and Aurelia took that as an opportunity to take him as far as he would go again. Her moans had increased in length and volume, and she felt like her whole body was vibrating around Arlo. 

“Aura, I’m-“ Arlo began, but cut himself off with a louder-than-anticipated moan as he spilled into Aurelia’s mouth. 

She managed to swallow most of his cum down, although some dribbled down her hand as she held him steady in her mouth. Once he had emptied himself Aurelia slowly released herself from his cock with a small  _ pop  _ and grinned up at Arlo. 

“I think you’re safe and ready for bed now.” 

Arlo huffed out a small, exhausted laugh and flopped down on his back, opening his arms as he did so. 

“Come here, darling.”

Aurelia got up from the floor and crawled into bed beside Arlo, snuggling into him and his warmth. 

“Did you enjoy that?” she asked. 

“That was the most amazing experience of my life, and I’m not exaggerating. So yes, I enjoyed that,” he said, smiling up towards the ceiling, eyes closed in post-sex pleasure. 

“That was just an appetizer; wait until we eventually get to the main course,” Aurelia giggled. 

Arlo’s eyes shot open and he turned to hold Aurelia tight. 

“You’re going to be the death of me. And I’m not complaining about that one bit.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I write smut fairly often but I felt kind of meh about this scene- what do y’all think? 
> 
> I’ve been struggling with some low self-esteem when it comes to writing, so I want to thank each and every person who reads this, whether you leave kudos or not. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my little drabbles! <3


	7. Birthday Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As per usual, I take forever to post things! Sorry about that! 
> 
> Also, this is another smut chapter- sorry if that’s not your cup of tea!

Arlo woke up the next morning and was surprised to find that Aurelia wasn’t beside him. He wondered if she was using the bathroom or making tea in the kitchen, but as he rolled over onto the side of the bed she had occupied he heard and felt the crunch of paper beneath him. He rolled back just enough to grab at it, and found it was a note. 

 

_ Good Morning Handsome, _

_ I’m sorry I had to leave, but I have two huge commissions I need to get done by Friday, so I’ll be spending the next two days working nonstop. After I turn in my commissions though, I want you to come over, since Friday is also (and more importantly) your birthday. Maybe around 8:00 PMish? I want to celebrate with you, and not to brag, but I have a pretty great present planned for you as well.  _

_ Anyway, I hope you have a great day! See you Friday!  _

_ <3 Aura  _

 

Arlo grinned as he finished reading the note, letting his mind wander to all the ways Aurelia might want to “celebrate” his birthday. He shook his head, blushing slightly- just because they’d been intimate once didn’t mean that was the only way they’d be spending time together. Plus, that wouldn’t make for a very good relationship. Several loud knocks jolted him out of his reverie. 

“Yo, Cap!” Sam yelled. “Are you ready? We have that meeting with the mayor in 15 minutes!” 

“Shit!”

The meeting today hadn’t even been on his radar after the events of the night before. Arlo jumped out of bed and started to get dressed. 

“You and Remi go without me, I’ll meet you there!” 

“Okay, but you better hurry.” 

Arlo pulled on his pants and grabbed a clean shirt from his closet. He picked up his holsters that he’d left on the ground and put them on without taking the time to adjust them- he could do that later. He found socks, pulled on his boots, and reached for his Flying Pigs bandana… and grabbed nothing. The blue piece of fabric wasn’t on the table, or on the ground around it. He could have sworn he left it there last night, but did a quick sweep of his room anyway, and came up with nothing. He looked at the clock and swore- he had five minutes to get to the mayor’s office. He raced out of his room, promising he’d search for the bandana later as he tried to ignore the naked feeling he had by not wearing it. 

Arlo sprinted through town and managed to make it to the mayor’s office two minutes past the meeting time. He took a few seconds to catch his breath before bursting through the door. 

“Sorry I’m late, Gale.”

“Oh, Arlo! There you are! No worries, no worries, we hadn’t even started yet.” 

The mayor had wanted to discuss new patrol routes for the Civil Corps once South Block opened up and more people would be visiting the Eufala Desert. It was a quick meeting, which Arlo was thankful for- he’d have just enough time to head back to HQ to search for his bandana before starting his patrol. 

“I’m not sure if I like the outfit change, Captain,” Remi said with a laugh after the meeting was over. “The bandana was fun, now you look too serious.” 

“I just couldn’t find it this morning, and I was already running late. It’s not gone for good.” 

“I wonder where a bandana could wander off to,” Remi grinned. 

“Maybe it walked out of HQ early this morning with a certain Builder,” Sam added, smirking. 

Arlo blushed bright red but said nothing. His two best friends laughed.

“It’s about time you had some  _ fun _ , Arlo.” Remi said. 

“Yeah, nothing wrong with getting your dick wet,” Sam added with a snort. 

“Don’t you both have patrols to be on?” Arlo said, glaring.

His fellow Corpsmen gave a few last laughs before splitting off and going about their daily patrols, calling out for everyone to be safe. 

“Especially YOU, Captain.”

“Protection is important!” 

Arlo, now beet red, ignored them and hurried up to HQ to look for his bandana again. 

—

The next two days seemed to last forever. Arlo hadn’t seen any sign of Aurelia in town since the night she slept over, and according to various townsfolk she’d been running around like a chicken with its head cut off to get all her commissions and special projects finished. Arlo had half a mind to go see her at her workshop, but he didn’t want to distract her. Besides, it was finally Friday, and they had plans. 

Arlo took another look around his room for his Flying Pigs bandana, even though he knew it would be pointless. It was gone, and he started to wonder more and more if Aurelia had taken it with her. It frustrated Arlo to an extent- if she’d have asked he would have let her borrow it. As much as he didn’t want to confront her about it tonight, he knew he’d have to. Arlo sighed as he stepped out of his room, but he stopped, shocked, as soon as he opened his bedroom door. A “Happy Birthday!” banner and balloons had been hung up facing his room, and he noticed his desk had food and a wrapped gift on it. He walked over to the table and grinned- spaghetti with hot sauce, his favorite. He looked at the wrapped present and grabbed the note that was lying on top. 

 

_ HAPPY BIRTHDAY ARLO! _

_ I wish I could have stuck around to enjoy this breakfast of champions with you, but I have one last thing to do before I’m finally finished with my commissions. I hope you have a great day, and I can’t wait to celebrate with you tonight. I have some big plans… ;)  _

_ Aurelia  _

 

Arlo stared at the last line of the note, and felt hot all over. He didn’t want to overthink or assume she meant being intimate again, but the winking face she added sent his mind racing. He shook his head and turned his attention to the present. He tore off the decorative paper that covered the box and pulled out a new hip pack. He smiled, touched that Aurelia had remembered his off-hand comment several seasons ago about wanting a new one. He took off his old one and tied on the new before heading out to do his patrols. 

To say that the day dragged on was an understatement- he wanted nothing more than to be at Aurelia’s house,talking with her, laughing with her, holding her… After a day that felt like a year Arlo finally finished his patrols. He raced back to Corps HQ to shower and change into jeans and a white tee shirt before heading to Aurelia’s. He arrived precisely at 8:00 and knocked on the door, to no answer. He frowned- maybe she was finishing a last minute commission? He knocked again, louder, and this time heard a faint voice say “Come in!” Arlo walked inside the house but saw no sign of his girlfriend. 

“Aura? Where are you?” 

“I’m in my bedroom! I’m putting the finishing touches on your present!”

“You know I don’t need anything special, I just want to spend time with you… Oh! And thank you for the hip pack! I love it.” 

“You’re welcome! I’m glad you like it.” 

Silence filled the home after that, and Arlo sat on the couch to wait. A few minutes passed before Aurelia spoke again.

“Oh Arloooo,” she sang out. “Why don’t you come in here and get your present? It’s ready now.” 

The way she said his name made his blood begin to rush, and Arlo had to force his body to cool down. 

_ Stop assuming things. _

It only took two strides for Arlo to be at her bedroom door, and after taking a deep breath he pushed the door open and…

His brain did a hard reboot. 

Aurelia was lying on her bed, perched on some pillows, and completely naked except for Arlo’s Flying Pigs bandana around her neck. She gave him a coy smile as he stood there gaping at her. 

“Well don’t just stand there. This is a hands on present.” 

Arlo crossed the room and was on Aurelia in an instant. Their kiss was beyond heated; it was a raging inferno. He moved his lips to her neck and kissed and sucked on any skin he could find before biting down at the tender junction where neck met collarbone.

“Fuck, Arlo!” Aurelia gasped. 

“That’s the plan,” he replied with a smirk. 

Arlo sat up and removed his shirt in one fluid motion before moving back on top of Aurelia. He gasped at the feeling of her pert nipples rubbing against his now-bare chest as he captured her lips in a bruising kiss once again. His hand ran up and down her side before settling at her waist and holding her close, perfectly aligning his throbbing cock with Aurelia’s entrance. Even through his jeans Arlo could sense the heat and wetness that radiated from the beauty below him, and it took all of his willpower to hold back from ripping off his pants and plunging straight into her. A flash of blue drew his attention back up to Aurelia’s face and her wide smirk as she ran her hand over Arlo’s missing bandana and down to cup her breasts. 

“You know, stealing is a pretty serious crime. I should take you back to HQ and lock you up.” Arlo leaned down to kiss up Aurelia’s neck before tracing the shell of her ear with his tongue. “Or maybe I should just punish you here.” 

Aurelia moaned at Arlo’s words and pulled him down to lock her lips with his in another heated, desperate kiss before pushing back and biting her lip as she stared into Arlo’s eyes. 

“I’m sorry I took your bandana without asking. I won’t do it again,  _ Captain _ .” 

Arlo closed his eyes as a groan flowed out of him. He could only imagine other situations where she’d call him that, all of them sexual.  Aurelia’s hand on his jean zipper snapped him back to the present, and he nodded to give her permission. She wasted no time in freeing his throbbing cock, and Arlo moaned again when the cool air hit his rock-hard shaft. Aurelia immediately moved down Arlo’s body to take him into her mouth, but to her surprise he pulled away before picking her up and depositing her back at the top of the bed. 

“You can’t have all the fun, Aura,” he said before positioning himself between her legs. 

Aurelia gasped as she looked down at Arlo, a pretty blush beginning to color her features. 

“Arlo, you don’t have to do that if you don’t wa-“ 

Her words were cut off by a loud moan as Arlo took the first long lick up her dripping pussy. He looked up at her and grinned when he saw how much of a flustered mess she was just from one lick before dipping down into her again. He flattened his tongue to rub against her clit and couldn’t help but moan around her sweet bundle of nerves when he heard her cry out his name. 

Aurelia gripped the sheets, the pillows, her breasts, anything she could hold onto as Arlo turned her into a whimpering mess. She knew he was about to lick and suck an orgasm out of her, and as he slipped his tongue deep inside of her she couldn’t stop the guttural scream that seemed to come from her very soul. 

“Oh Arlo YES, oh god, oh fuck, please, more, please!” 

Arlo moaned around her again before pushing back from her dripping slit and moving up to capture her mouth in a passionate kiss. Her own taste on Arlo’s tongue was almost enough to push her over the edgr, but as Arlo positioned his hard, pre-cum soaked cock at her entrance Aurelia stilled and caught her breath. Arlo moved to kiss her neck. 

“Are you ready?” He murmured into her ear. 

“Yes, oh Arlo, yes,” She whimpered back, running her hands up the broad expanse of his chest. 

Arlo stared down at the woman below him, taking in her flushed face and breasts, her shining eyes, the way her teeth looked as they bit her lower lip… he had never been so in awe of someone before. He reached down between them with a shaking hand to align himself with her entrance before slowly- finally- pushing inside of Aurelia’s wet, warm, and welcoming hole. He watched her expression change- her quick intake of breath, the way her head tilted back, eyes closed, as if this was what she was made to do. It took all of his willpower to not just slam into her and chase both their ends as quick as he could; instead, he pushed slowly, savoring the feeling of Aurelia’s warm walls pulsing around him. As his hips finally became flush with hers, Arlo ran a hand up the side of Aurelia’s face. 

“Aura- look at me.” 

She opened her eyes and, to Arlo, it felt like she stared into his soul. 

“You’re perfect. Do you know that?” He whispered as he began to slowly move back and forth within her. 

The smooth glide of his cock within her made Aurelia want to close her eyes again, but the way he stared at her was too entrancing for her to look away. 

“Arlo…”

“Do you know that, Aura?” He said, almost desperate. “Do you know that you’re a perfect gift, the only woman in the whole world who I’ll ever want like this? Do you know how incredible you are?” 

Aurelia felt like her heart was going to explode out of her chest at Arlo’s words. She knew he cared for her, but this much? This deep? 

All she could do was shake her head “no”. 

Arlo shook his head, as his he couldn’t believe that she didn’t see herself the way he saw her. 

“Then I guess I just have to show you how perfect you are.” 

He picked up the pace of his movements inside of her, making her moan and arch her back off the bed. 

 

“You’re beautiful.”  _ Thrust.  _

“You’re kind.”  _ Thrust.  _

“You’re brilliant.”  _ Thrust.  _

“You’re hilarious.”  _ Thrust _ . 

“You’re sexy.”  _ Thrust.  _

 

Aurelia was a quivering mess from his words and movements before Arlo gently grabbed her chin and tipped her face towards him. He leaned down to run his tongue up her neck before whispering in her ear: “And you’re all mine.” 

He picked up the pace of his thrusting tenfold as he pounded into Aurelia, determined to make her  _ feel _ how much he loved her. Her moans shot through him to his core and he knew he wasn’t going to last much longer. He leaned over her and moved her legs to rest on his shoulders. The new angle made them both cry out at just how deep Arlo could go, and Aurelia began to tremble in his arms. 

“Oh fuck, Arlo, yes, right there, don’t stop, oh Arlo!” 

Arlo let out an animalistic, possessive growl as he gave every last bit of strength he had to pound into Aurelia. She screamed out his name before tightening and shuddering around him, causing Arlo to find his end deep within her warmth. 

A few minutes passed before both Arlo and Aurelia could catch their breath, and Aurelia almost whined when Arlo slipped out of her. He gathered her in his arms, breathing deeply, and held her tight. Aurelia snuggled into him before falling into a fit of giggles. Arlo pulled back to look at her. 

“Something funny?”

“No, I’m just… deliriously happy,” she grinned. “But I do need you to let me go so I can, uh, clean up.” 

“Fine,” he sighed as he opened his arms. “But that’s the only valid reason for me to let go of you right now.” 

Aurelia rolled her eyes and she stood and walked to the bathroom. Arlo watched her go and just smiled, content for the first time in a long time.

_ I’m a lucky man _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a weird pet peeve about reading fics where people have sex, especially without protection, and they don’t clean up afterwards! Especially if there’s a woman in the scene, like, GO PEE, DONT GET A UTI! 
> 
> ... anyway... 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! I’m planning on some non-smut chapters next, and I’ll hopefully post them sooner!


	8. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *** SPOILERS ***  
> This chapter contains spoilers for the secondary mission “A Regrettable Deal.” (With my own twist at the end.)

Arlo cocked his head to the side as he studied the truly miraculous event taking place in front of him. His girlfriend was smiling and shaking hands with… Higgins? Who was also smiling? 

_ What the hell? _

Higgins turned and left in the direction of his workshop as Arlo approached Aurelia, who turned and grinned when she saw her handsome boyfriend. 

“Working hard or hardly working, Cap?” 

“Working hard trying to understand that miracle I just witnessed. I’ve never seen you interact with Higgins where one of you wasn’t stomping off.” 

Aurelia laughed. 

“It was amazing, wasn’t it? I’m still not so sure if it was real or not!” 

“So what were you guys talking about?”

“He’s come up with a business plan and wants to partner with me! It’s his way of calling a truce to our rivalry.” 

“Wow. That’s great, but just seems very… un-Higgins like.” 

“I know, I was skeptical at first, but he was really earnest about letting bygones be bygones and all that jazz.” 

“Well then that’s great to hear! I’m proud of the two of you for putting aside your differences. With the two of you working together I know a lot of good will come to Portia.” Arlo gave Aurelia a fond smile. “So what’s this business proposal?” 

“Well, he didn’t  _ explicitly _ say… he said he has a diagram for a new invention, but before he reveals it he wants me to get some parts for him so he can finalize the schematic.” 

“I guess that makes sense… what does he need?”

“Uh, lemme see, I wrote it down.” Aurelia pulled her builder’s notebook out of her backpack and flipped through the pages. “Ah, here it is. He needs two small engines, ten carbon steel bars, six strengthened glass, and three tin alloys.” 

Arlo stared. He didn’t know much about building, but he knew that was a fairly hefty request. Aurelia must have noticed the look of disbelief that flitted across her boyfriend’s face. 

“Don’t worry. I’ve actually been working on some strengthened glass. I was going to use it for a house upgrade but I can always make more. And I’ve been meaning to do some Hazardous Ruin diving so now that I need more engines I don’t have an excuse not to.” 

“That’s a lot of sacrifice and risk for a man who’s treated you like garbage since you moved here, Aura.” 

“And he called a truce and asked  _ me _ for  _ help _ , which is a real miracle. I’m not going to question his change of heart, I’m just going to help him and be thankful.” 

Arlo ran a hand down his face before pulling Aurelia in close. 

“I think you have the biggest heart in the history of mankind.” 

“Then I should probably go see Dr. Xu ‘cause that sounds like a problem.” She smirked up at Arlo, who just rolled his eyes. 

“You’re insufferable.”

“You lo- … like me.” 

Arlo’s heart sped up. He knew what she’d almost said- it was obvious- but he was glad she hadn’t said it. Even though he realized he loved her long before they even started dating, they hadn’t had that talk yet, and as much as he tried to convince himself that she felt the same way, those old, tiny voices of doubt still managed to creep in. Arlo just shook his head and forced a laugh. 

“I do like you, yes.” 

“You better.” 

 

—

 

It was a stormy Friday; Arlo was talking to Presley about putting a few commissions up on the board when Aurelia burst into the Commerce Guild. It had been five days since she and Higgins had called their truce, and she’d been so busy trying to gather the materials he needed that she hadn’t had time to take any commissions. 

“Ah, Aurelia! We’ve missed you this week!” Presley said.

The young woman ignored him, instead stomping straight up to Higgins, who had been casually browsing the job board. When he saw her he gave a cruel laugh. 

“Did you get my diagram?” 

“Yes,” Aurelia said through gritted teeth. “I worked for  _ five days _ to get you those materials.” 

“Yes, you were certainly busy. It was nice to have some peace and quiet around here.” 

Aurelia slammed a damp sheet of paper down on the edge of Presley’s desk. Arlo managed to look at the paper before Aurelia reached for it again and crumpled it in her fist- it was a childish drawing of Higgins sticking his tongue out with a taunting message. 

“I didn’t take  _ any _ commissions this week, Higgins, because I was too busy trying to help  _ you. _ ” 

“And I thank you for that, truly. After all, if you had been around I wouldn’t have been able to take all the good commissions and leave you the slops.” 

Aurelia marched to the board and pointed at the commissions that remained with a shaking finger. 

“ _ Slops _ ,” she hissed. “How dare you.” 

Higgins looked taken aback by her change of attack. He opened his mouth to respond but she cut him off. 

“No, shut up.” She took a deep breath. “You know, I was actually excited to work with you, Higgins. I thought we could use our skills together to really change the lives of our fellow Portians, to  _ help _ people. But you only wanted to help yourself.” 

“Can you blame me?” He sneered. “I want to make something of myself, not be stuck in this backwater hole for the rest of my life. Commissions like  _ these,” _ he said, gesturing to the board, “are garbage, like you.” 

“You know how I know that you’ll never make a name for yourself, Higgins?” 

“Oh, do enlighten me.” 

“Because you think some commissions are better than others.” 

“You idiot. Some  _ are _ better. This one,” he said while waving a sheet of paper around, “is offering several  _ thousand  _ gols, and I for one-“ 

“That’s just it!” Aurelia yelled, interrupting. “Just because one pays more doesn’t make it better! All commissions are equal because they all help people. And whether I’m helping Atara build buses for several thousand gols or I’m helping Alice build a sign for her shop for pennies, I’m still happy because I’m helping and improving the lives of people.” 

“You’re naive.”

“Maybe,” she shrugged. “But I’d rather have these ‘ _ slops’ _ than any other job in the world.” 

“Suit yourself. Now if you’ll excuse me I have some new components to use in some very demanding, pricey projects.” Higgins sauntered off into the rain, laughing at his now-and-forever rival. 

Aurelia stared after him for a few minutes before taking a breath and releasing a sigh from deep within her chest. 

“Sorry for yelling in here, Pres.”

“You’re fine Aura. That was actually a lovely speech you made.” 

Aurelia look down at the ground before mumbling a quiet “thanks”

“It really was, Aura.” Arlo came forward and clasped a hand on his girlfriend’s shoulder. 

His heart was racing a million miles an hour but he couldn’t help it- this woman was something else. The speech she had made had reminded him he loved her so deeply. 

“Let me walk you home, darling.” 

Aurelia looked up at Arlo and smiled for the first time since she had almost kicked down the door of the Commerce Guild. 

“Okay. Bye Presley.” 

“Goodbye dear.” 

Aurelia and Arlo walked in silence back to her workshop, both replaying the confrontation at the Commerce Guild over in their minds. They reached the workshop gate before Arlo began to speak. 

“You know, what happened back there was-“

“Awful?” Aurelia interrupted. 

“No. Well, yes, on Higgins’ part, but I was going to say inspiring.” 

“Inspiring? Watching me fall apart was inspiring to you?” 

Arlo was shocked to hear the trembling in Aurelia’s voice, and he pulled her into his arms as soon as the first tear slid down her cheek. 

“Hey now, none of that.”

“B-but he played me for a  _ fool _ , Arlo. And I fell for it. I lost a week’s worth of wages and good materials.” She sighed, more tears running down her face. “I guess I r-really am naive.” 

She buried her face in Arlo’s chest as small sobs wracked her body. 

“Aura. Look at me, please.” 

She pulled back just enough to look into Arlo’s eyes, but didn’t say anything, tears still falling down her face. 

“You wanna know what I saw back there? I saw a woman who stood up for herself, her friends, and this whole town, who laid out who she was and how deeply she cares for humanity. I saw a woman who sees the best in people and gives everyone, even Higgins, a chance.” Arlo paused and placed a hand on Aurelia’s cheek. “I saw my role model and my inspiration. I- I saw the woman I love.” 

Aurelia gasped and stared at Arlo, her tears forgotten. 

“You… love me?” 

“Of course I do Aura! How could I not?” 

“Even with-“

Arlo cut her off with a quick kiss. 

“Whatever you were going to say, yes. Even with any imagined flaw you can think of. I love you Aurelia.” 

He waited, barely breathing and scared out of his mind, for Aurelia to respond. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long. A huge smile lit up her face as she placed both hands on Arlo’s cheeks. 

“I love you too, Arlo. So, so much.” 

Arlo thought he was going to float away from how light and happy he was before Aurelia took his hand, grounding him and pulling him towards her front door. 

“What are you doing?” He laughed. 

“Taking you inside so I can show you just how much I love you,” she said, throwing a smirk over her shoulder. 

Arlo grinned, and as he shut the door behind them he couldn’t help but send a silent ‘thank you’ to Higgins for being an ass and riling Arlo up enough to confess his feelings. 

A weird twist, to be sure, but hey- neither Aurelia nor Arlo were complaining. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, fuck Higgins.


	9. Electric

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You’ll have to take this chapter with a grain of salt, because I kiiiiinda get science but not enough for what I was trying to go for to make logical sense. So despite doing research and trying to make this chapter real-world believable I eventually kind of just said “fuck it” and did... this. 
> 
> Also, I borrowed some exact dialogue from the mission “Rescue in Ingall’s Mine,” so some sight spoilers there.

Arlo hated the desert. The dry heat was overwhelming, made worse by the thick material of his Civil Corps uniform, so when Mint asked for his help investigating the cause of the tremors in the new Eufaula Tunnel, Arlo was less than thrilled. Now as he stared at the pile of rocks that covered what used to be the entrance -and exit- of the tunnel, and supervised Sam wrapping the wound of a semi-conscious Mint, Arlo had half a mind to reconsider his career choice. 

After a few minutes of silence Arlo thought he heard what sounded like a pickaxe on rock, and if he strained he could just make out Remington’s voice through the rubble. 

“We’re here!” Arlo yelled. 

“Arlo!?”

“Yeah, Sam and Mint are here too. We’re okay!”

“Thank the heavens, you had me worried for a sec!” 

“Don’t stop worrying yet, we're not that okay! Mint's hurt! We're in some kind of underground passage. I think it's a part of the old shafts.”

“You mean the one linkin' up to the ole mine?”

“Yeah, that’s the one. We’re going to have to follow these tunnels to find a way ou-“

A loud, piercing screech filled the tunnel and Arlo winced. Whatever made that noise sounded  _ big _ . 

“What the hell was that?” Remi yelled. 

“I don’t think we’re alone in here! You need to hurry!” Sam called back, a grim mask settling over her features. 

There was no response from Remington, but Arlo swore he could just make out the faint sound of a hurried and frantic conversation before nothing but an uneasy silence surrounded him, Sam, and Mint. Arlo stood up straight and turned to face his companions.

“We’re going to have to go into the tunnels to try and find a way out. Mint, can you walk?”

“Yeah. I might be a little slow though.” 

“Slow is better than stationary.” 

“And we’ll help you as much as we can,” Sam added. 

The three set off through the tunnels with Arlo in front, Mint in the middle, and Sam in back. It was eerily quiet in the mine, which made Arlo nervous. Quiet was sneaky, and sneaky was the last thing he wanted to deal with right now. 

A soft slithering sound made Arlo snap to attention, and he could make out several large shapes wriggling in the darkness. 

“Tunnel worms.” He said in a low voice. 

Sam nodded and steadied her rifle. The two Civil Corpsmen made quick work of the worms, but the squelching noise they made as they died was unpleasant, to say the least; Mint looked a light shade of green after the last one dropped. Arlo motioned for the small team to continue on, and for a while all was still. 

“Arlo, look!” 

Arlo raised his head to look where Sam was pointing and noticed a doorway with light streaming out of it. It wasn’t natural light, but he knew that rooms like that in ruins often offered ways out. 

“Good eye, Sam. We still need to be cautious, though.”

Sam and Mint both nodded as they made their way to the metal door, which opened with no problems. The room was large and bright, metal and natural rock formations coexisting in interesting structural fashion. 

“Alright, it looks like if we go up these stairs we should be closer to the surface, and hopefully an exit.” Arlo said. 

“There’s another door around the way though,” Sam pointed out. “We should check that way first.” 

“Uh, guys?” Mint said. 

Arlo and Sam ignored him. 

“Sam, why would we want to stay at this level if we’re trying to get back to the surface?” 

“Guys..?” 

“Because who’s to say that they didn’t have a lift or something to help them up instead of walking?”

“That seems far-fetched, Sam.”

“Arlo-“

“Well it doesn’t hurt to check,” Sam said. 

“I don’t want to waste time though-“

“GUYS!!”

“WHAT?” Sam and Arlo yelled at the same time as they turned to Mint. 

They froze. A huge, three legged AI had appeared in the middle of the room and was charging up, its body beginning to spin wildly around a gigantic drill bit. 

“Shit,” Sam said. 

“My thoughts exactly,” Arlo replied. “Mint, get behind some rocks. Sam, don’t hold back.”

As both of his companions moved to their positions the sound of frantic footsteps reached Arlo’s ear and he spared a glance at the walkway at the top of the room. Relief flooded his system seeing Remi rush in, which was instantly replaced by horror when he saw Aurelia run in after the green-haired corpsman. 

“Aura!? What are you doing here??” 

“I’ll explain later!” she yelled back as she unsheathed her sword.

The simple action filled Arlo with dread, as he realized that his girlfriend wasn’t about to sit on the sidelines of the fight. He tried to focus on the giant driller AI in front of him but thoughts of Aurelia’s lack of fighting experience couldn’t be shaken from his mind. 

“Sam, Remi, flank this thing! Aura, protect Mint!” 

“But-“ Aurelia began. 

“No ‘buts’!” 

The three members of the Civil Corps moved into position around the AI as it began spinning wildly. Just as Remi got close enough to swing his hammer at the machine it jumped in the air and Arlo barely had time to dodge before it came crashing down. 

_ At least we know what was causing the tremors _ , he thought. 

The fight dragged on as the Corpsmen chipped away at the AI’s health, but they were exhausted. Their dodges were becoming sloppy, and Arlo was sent sprawling back into the dirt when he didn’t move fast enough. He heard Aurelia scream his name as he staggered to his feet, but the machine was bearing down on him again. Just as he braced himself for the impact of another hit he saw Aurelia lunge forward at the AI, sword drawn. 

“No!” Arlo yelled. 

He watched, helpless, as Aurelia made contact with the machine’s central computer, causing waves of electricity to radiate from the AI’s core. Aurelia continued to hold onto her sword, pushing it deeper into the command center of the machine. The AI was falling apart, but in its final moments it released a surge of electricity, causing an explosion, the force of which sent Aurelia flying through the air. She hit the nearby wall with a sickening  _ crunch _ , and slid to the ground, completely still. 

Arlo sprinted to his motionless girlfriend. He fell to his knees beside her, immediately checking to see if she was breathing and had a pulse, and was relieved to find both, despite her breathing being shallow and her pulse weak. He rolled her over so she was on her back and looked over the rest of her. Her arm was stuck out at a weird angle, obviously broken. 

_ That explains that awful crunching noise. _

Arlo inspected Aurelia’s body again, looking for electrical burns that he knew would need dressing, but found none, save for a few minor burn marks on the palms of her hand. 

“Fuck,” Sam said, somewhere behind him. “Arlo, you need to see this.” 

“Whatever it is can wait, Sam. Aura and Mint both need medical attention, stat.”

“There’s an exit the way Aura and I came in from. We just need to follow the tunnel,” Remington said. 

“Okay.” Arlo moved to pick up the still-unconscious Aurelia. “Sam, bring whatever it was you wanted me to see back to HQ. Remi, help Mint. I’m going to run ahead with Aura and get some DeeDee transports ready to take us back to town and to the Clinic.” 

—

“Well, her injuries are far from life threatening, but they are somewhat confusing.” Dr. Xu told Arlo as the two men stared at Aurelia, now asleep, in one of the Clinic’s medical beds. 

“Confusing? How so?” 

“Well, the broken arm and concussion fit what you told me about her hitting the wall. But you also said there was an electrical explosion?” 

“Yes, the AI sent out what seemed like a wave of electricity before it fell.” 

“And Aurelia was on the machine when that happened?”

“Yes.” 

Dr. Xu sighed as he picked up his clipboard and looked over his notes. 

“That’s the confusing part. If that thing sent out as much electricity as you say it did, then Aurelia honestly should have died. But there’s only a few light burns on her palms. I don’t understand it.” 

“I have a theory on how it happened, Doc.” 

Arlo and Xu looked up to see Sam walking into the Clinic, a frown on her face as she looked over her sleeping friend. She looked at Arlo. 

“Remember how I wanted you to see something in the mine?” Sam pulled a black, twisted object out of her backpack and set it on Xu’s desk. 

“What is that? A piece of the machine?” Xu peered at the object. 

“No. It’s Aurelia’s sword. Or, what’s left of it anyway.” 

Arlo thought back to the fight with the drilling AI and remembered how Aurelia had held onto her sword after she made contact with the machine in order to drive it deeper. 

“The sword must have taken the brunt of the electricity and the force was what sent her flying backwards into the wall.” Sam continued. 

Xu looked skeptical, but wrote what Sam said on his clipboard. 

“That explanation still leaves me with questions, but their answers are not necessary to Aura’s treatment. Plus, you’ve all had a long day, so go get some rest. Doctor’s orders.” 

“Can I stay here with Aura, Doc?” 

“I’d prefer that you go back to headquarters to get some sleep, but I know you won’t sleep at all if you’re away from her so yes, you can stay.”

Xu smiled at Arlo and pushed a plush armchair next to Aurelia’s medical bed, which Arlo sank into with a groan of comfort; it had been a long day. 

“Thanks for all your help, Dr. Xu,” Arlo said with a yawn. 

“Of course Arlo, I’m happy to. Plus, it’s my job,” he laughed. “But get some rest. If you need anything I’ll be right here.” 

Arlo nodded and turned back to Aurelia. He laced his fingers with hers and looked her over with a protective eye, pleased to see that her color was returning. Another yawn escaped Arlo as he settled back into the armchair, holding hands with his love and thanking whatever deity could hear him for saving Aurelia’s life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to make this more believable by giving Aurelia some electrical burns but I made the mistake of doing a google image search to see what I’d need to describe and HOLY. SHIT. It was deeply upsetting. Please don’t google image search “electrical burns.” Don’t. Learn from my mistakes. 
> 
> Don’t do it. 
> 
> Stop.


	10. Distractions

“Arlo, stop fussing.” Aurelia smiled as she put her hand that wasn’t in a sling on Arlo’s shoulder, attempting to calm down her jittery boyfriend. 

The sound of a plane flying low had awoken them this morning, and Arlo had almost fallen over himself getting ready to run out the door. Aurelia had thrown on clothes and raced to the field just outside Portia’s gate and was standing there with Arlo, ready to greet whoever was about to disembark. Gale had mentioned that the Flying Pigs were sending someone to investigate the ruins around Portia after the discovery of the drilling AI, but Arlo seemed too anxious for this to be just any member of the guild. Aurelia was about to ask who they were meeting when a large propeller plane that had been decorated to look like a pig glided to a stop and a woman emerged. She had short black hair with a streak of color in it and wore purple and pink adventuring gear. As the woman came closer Aurelia noticed that she was older, probably closer to middle aged, but incredibly fit. 

_Duh, she’s in the Flying Pigs. Of course she’s fit, Aura._

The woman had a smile on her face as she approached the two bystanders, and when she was close enough she gave Arlo a warm, firm handshake. 

“Arlo! It’s good to see you in one piece! I read the report and that did not sound like a fun fight.” 

“It’s good to see you too, Mali. And no, no it wasn’t. I probably wouldn’t be in one piece if it wasn’t for this woman right here.” Arlo put his arm around Aurelia’s shoulders and pulled her close, causing a pretty blush to darken Aura’s features. “Mali, this is Aurelia, my girlfriend.” 

“Girlfriend, huh? It’s about time you had some fun in your life!” Mali stuck out her hand to shake Aurelia’s hand, the smile still on her face.

Aurelia grinned and returned the handshake. 

“It’s nice to meet you! Thank you for coming to investigate the ruins. I don’t want to run into anything like that driller again any time soon.” 

“I don’t blame you. And no need for thanks, just doing my job. Although from what I read it seems like you handled that AI pretty well.” 

Aurelia blushed again and shrugged. 

“Still, I don’t want to test my luck again.” 

“Understandable.” Mali turned to Arlo. “I’m going to rendezvous with the Mayor, but I should have some time to train later if you’re interested.” 

Arlo’s face lit up. 

“Of course I’m interested! It will be good to practice some stuff for the exam.” 

Aurelia’s stomach dropped, unwittingly. She wasn’t dumb; she knew Arlo’s dreams hadn’t changed just because they’d started dating, and she’d insisted that she didn’t expect his dream _to_ change. Aurelia wanted Arlo to get into the Flying Pigs almost as much as he wanted to join the famous guild, but seeing the enthusiasm on his face at Mali’s offer to train together made Aura realize just how little he’d been training since they’d started dating. The spare time he’d typically have used to hone his skills had become the time he spent with Aurelia, and she felt guilty for holding him back. She realized that Arlo and Mali were finishing up their conversation and she hoped her features didn’t give away any of her thoughts. 

“Well, I’m off to meet with Gale. See you later, Arlo. And it was nice to meet you, Aurelia!” 

“Likewise,” Aura said with a smile. 

The young couple watched Mali walk away before Arlo started talking. 

“Mali is one of the strongest members of the guild, and she periodically comes out this way to give me some extra training before entrance exams. She’s an inspiration to me, and my best bet on getting into the Flying Pigs.” 

Aurelia nodded, but said nothing until they turned back towards her home. 

“You know Arlo, I actually forgot that I have a lot of work to get done today, so I need to get started right away. But I’m sure I’ll see you later.” 

Arlo paused, a small frown on his face. 

“Oh… I thought you wanted to make breakfast together?” 

“I did, but I forgot about the commissions I had and they’re all coming due soon.” 

“Well, can I help? Your arm’s gonna get in your way, what with the cast and all.”

“I’ll be fine. Can’t let something like a bum arm hold me back.”

“I just don’t want you to hurt it more, Aura.” 

“Arlo. I said I’ll be fine.” Aurelia started walking away before calling out over her shoulder. “Have fun training.” 

Arlo stared after his retreating girlfriend, confusion in his eyes. Did Aura seem… sad? Angry? He honestly couldn’t tell. He shook his head and continued to watch her until she was out of sight. He sighed and began the walk back to HQ, wondering why he felt so anxious.

—

“You’re sloppy, Arlo.” 

Mali stood to the side as Arlo, with hands on his knees, tried to catch his breath. Mali hadn’t just beat him during their sparring match- she had destroyed him. He never beat Mali, sure, but usually he could at least land one hit- today he hadn’t even grazed her. 

“How often have you been training?” 

Arlo stood and blushed. He knew he hadn’t been giving his training schedule his full attention since he and Aurelia began their relationship, but he didn’t think he’d become this _sloppy_ , as Mali put it. 

“Here’s another question- when did you and Aurelia start dating?” 

“At the beginning of summer. Why?” 

“So you haven’t been training for a few seasons now, huh?” Mali smirked. 

Arlo blushed again, but didn’t deny it. 

“Hey, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, Arlo. There’s more to life than constantly training. But you’re going to have to make a difficult decision if you still intend to chase your dream of joining the Flying Pigs full force.” 

“I’m not breaking up with her, Mali.” Arlo replied, a hint of a warning in his tone. 

Mali rolled her eyes. 

“That’s not what I was implying. I’m assuming she supports your goals or else you probably wouldn’t have even started dating her. But you need to decide on a balance between your dreams and love. It’s not fair to her if you spend your whole life going crazy about joining the guild, but it’s not fair to you to just stop training and not continue trying to make it in.”

Arlo looked down at the ground, his head spinning a million miles an hour. Mali was right- he needed to find a balance that was right for him _and_ Aura. It wasn’t just his life anymore, and that thought both thrilled and terrified him. 

“Of course,” Mali continued, “it’s also okay if your dreams change, Arlo.” 

Arlo remembered the morning he woke up in Aurelia’s home with the worst hangover of his life and imagined what it would be like to wake up with Aurelia every day, maybe with a couple kids running around the house. He thought about the Flying Pigs and remembered being a little kid and running around with a wooden training sword while pretending to fight off AIs and pirates as a member of the famous adventuring guild. 

He didn’t realize when it had happened, but he’d fallen in love with two very different ideas of how his life could be, and now he understood what Mali had meant when she said he’d have to make a difficult decision. 

“Sooner rather than later, Arlo.” Mali said as she walked into Civil Corps HQ, leaving him alone with his thoughts. 

—

Aurelia laid in bed and stared at the ceiling, wishing she could just fall asleep and turn off the voices in her head. All day she’d thrown herself into her work, even going into the Abandoned Ruins at the base of the church for the first time since she broke her arm. Mining with one arm was pretty much impossible, but that didn’t stop her from trying. Besides, she had thought, the harder she worked the easier it was to drown out the guilt that was coursing through her body. 

She had seen Arlo and Mali spar and had flinched at how quickly and handily her boyfriend had been beaten. 

_It’s my fault he hasn’t been training_. 

She had already felt bad after meeting Mali that morning, but now actually seeing Arlo in the ring made her feel even worse. Nevermind that Mali was one of the top members of the Flying Pigs- Aurelia knew Arlo should have- and could have- done better if he’d been keeping up his training schedule. 

_Maybe you should break up with him. Then he can follow his dreams without being distracted._

Aurelia put a pillow over her head and squeezed her eyes shut. There it was- the thought she’d fought to keep at bay all day had finally managed to come to the forefront of her brain. She shook her head under the pillow, willing the thought to go away. 

“Arlo can love me and train for the Flying Pigs at the same time,” Aurelia told herself. 

_But can he do both efficiently?_

“He can do anything.” 

_Maybe. Maybe not_.

A loud knock on her door brought Aurelia out of her mental argument while making her nearly jump out of her skin. Heart pounding she raced to the door and opened it to find Arlo standing there, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Arlo? Why did you knock? You know you can just come in.” 

“I tried but your door was locked.”

Oh yeah. She’d locked her door before forcing herself to go to bed without waiting to see if Arlo would be joining her. She wondered if locking the door was her way of physically wishing he wouldn’t. 

“Oh, sorry. I was tired and not thinking.”

“No, no, safety first, and I didn’t tell you I was coming over.” He walked inside and turned the lock. “Now we’re all good.” 

Aurelia gave a small nod before turning to go back to bed, but Arlo caught her wrist and led her back to him before pulling her into a tight hug. 

“Are you okay? You’ve been distant today.”

“I’m fine Arlo- just tired.”

“But this morning…”

“I was overwhelmed by how much I had to do.” 

“Okay.” He paused before pulling her even tighter. “I was just worried that you were upset with me.” 

_Not with you_ , she thought. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry.” 

He leaned down and gave her a soft, but passionate kiss. 

“Apology accepted,” he smirked.

Aurelia smiled as she felt the anxiety she’d grappled with all day starting to melt away. 

“So, how was your day?” she asked. 

“It was great! And exhausting. Mali didn’t go easy on me!” 

Arlo laughed before launching into a play-by-play recap of his day and all the training, sparring, and studying he did with Mali. As he spoke Aurelia could feel her anxiety creeping back in, trying to gain a foothold in her mind again. 

“She mentioned that she could tell I haven’t been training enough recently, so I really need to go over my schedule. I’ll never make it into the Flying Pigs if I don’t give 110% and I just haven’t been doing that.” He paused, a teasing smile on his face. “After all, it’s hard to focus on anything when your girlfriend is so distracting.” 

Aurelia’s brain exploded into a cacophony of accusations, each sounding more and more like “I told you so.” She took a deep breath, but the noise refused to die down. 

“I’ll help you however I can.” 

“I know you will, darling.” He smiled and kissed the top of her head. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Aurelia said. 

_But I’ll never forgive myself if I keep holding you back_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My poor, idiot children...
> 
> I felt like some light angst was in order. Also, I freaking LOVE Mali so I wanted to make sure I portrayed her as the wise voice of reason I assume her to be. 
> 
> As always I’m so appreciative of all the feedback I receive! Let me know how you’re liking things so far!


	11. Goodbye

Two weeks had passed since Mali had come to Portia and the Civil Corps was busier than ever. They were re-inspecting every ruin, both abandoned and hazardous, to make sure nothing as dangerous as the driller AI was lurking in the shadows. Thankfully, their investigations had found nothing out of the ordinary. Despite the extra work investigating ruins Arlo was training every second he had, no matter how grimy or exhausted he was at the end of the day. He was taking a twilight run around the countryside one evening when he spotted Aurelia, Toby, and Jack in the grove of apple trees outside the city gate. The two boys were pointing up into the tree and looking at Aura, who smiled and nodded before demonstrating to the boys the best way to kick the trees to get the apples to fall. Several large aroma apples fell to the ground and the boys cheered as Aurelia laughed. Toby and Jack scooped up the apples before saying goodbye: Toby giving Aurelia a high five while Jack gave her a hug. Arlo was too far away to hear them but he could see that Aura was laughing happily, waving after the boys as they ran off. 

Arlo resumed his run with a smile on his face as he imagined Aurelia teaching a young child with unruly red hair how to kick down apples from the trees. He could see them collecting the fallen fruit before bringing it home to show him their haul, the three of them taking the apples into the kitchen and making a pie together, as a family…

Arlo shook his head. Ever since Mali had talked with him about figuring out what his dream truly was he’d caught himself daydreaming more and more about having a family with Aurelia. He tried to keep his mind clear while he trained but thoughts of the future continuously snuck in; oddly, none of his visions showed him as a member of the Flying Pigs- He didn’t think too much about what that meant. 

He looked up and saw that his feet had carried him towards the Harbor. A boat was pulling up the dock and Arlo was surprised to see the Mysterious Salesman disembark. 

_ Is it already the end of the month? I didn’t even realize.  _

The masked man looked at Arlo and nodded his head in recognition, walking past him and towards town. Arlo stared after him for a moment before jogging to catch up with the mysterious man. He didn’t normally purchase the salesman’s items- he didn’t even look most of the time- but tonight his curiosity got the better of him. 

“Hold on a moment!” 

The man stopped and turned towards Arlo. 

“Need to see my selling permit, Captain? I assure you everything is in tip-top order.” 

“Actually, I wanted to browse your wares.” 

“Huh, I guess there is a first time for everything.” 

The mysterious man shucked off his enormous backpack and plopped it onto the ground. 

“Looking for anything in particular?” 

“No, just browsing.” 

“Suit yourself.”

The salesman began taking all kinds of items out of his bag and setting them on the ground for Arlo to see. Clothes, pet items, and even furniture were laid out before him. There were some nice, rare items for sale, but nothing that would be of any use to Arlo. He was about to tell the man he could pack up when a small wooden box caught Arlo’s eye. He picked it up and the mysterious man nodded. 

“I wondered when you’d be coming for that.”

“What? I don’t even know what it is.” Arlo replied. 

“Then open it.” 

Arlo flipped the clasp of the box and pulled back the lid to reveal a beautiful diamond engagement ring. He picked it up and inspected it, marveling at the way the fading evening light made the stone sparkle. 

“Why were you expecting me to buy this?” 

“Everyone in town is wondering when you and your lady are going to get hitched.”

Arlo fumbled at the salesman’s words and almost dropped the ring, which earned him a glare from the masked man. The whole town was wondering when they’d get married? They’d only been together a few seasons! They’d never even talked about marriage! And yet… Arlo couldn’t help but imagine Aurelia with the ring on her finger, showing it off to her friends and curious townsfolk; He could see them at the church, all dressed up and vowing to love each other for the rest of their days. Arlo shook his head. He wanted that life with Aurelia, but was he really ready to give up his dream of joining the Flying Pigs? He needed to do some soul searching. Reluctantly he put the ring back in the box and handed it back to the masked man. 

“It’s beautiful, but I’m not interested.” 

“Not interested, or not ready?” 

Arlo said nothing, choosing instead to nod at the mysterious salesman before jogging back to Civil Corps HQ. The entire way home he couldn’t get that ring- and it’s consequences- out of his head. He walked in the door, still preoccupied, and walked towards his bedroom. 

“Yo Cap, not even going to say hi?” Remington and Sam were sitting on the couch and eating dinner, smirking at their friend. 

“Leave him alone Remi, he’s probably too busy thinking about a certain builder we all know and love.” Sam laughed. 

Arlo sighed before plopping into a chair. He didn’t like letting others into his thought process, but he needed advice and Sam and Remi were his closest friends. 

“You okay there, Arlo?” Remington put down his plate of food and turned his attention to his friend. 

“I…” Arlo paused, unsure where to begin. “I’ve just been thinking about the future.” 

“You still have two seasons until the Flying Pigs entrance exam comes around again.” 

“Yeah, don’t overthink it now, no sense making yourself nervous this early.” 

“It’s not the exam. It’s… Aura.” 

“Oh,” his friends said in unison. 

“Yeah.” Arlo said. “I ran into the mysterious salesman tonight and he told me that everyone in town was expecting me to buy a wedding ring from him? For Aura?” 

Sam and Remi both looked away from Arlo, suddenly very interested in the corners of HQ’s main room. 

“So people  _ are  _ expecting it,” Arlo said. 

“I mean, c’mon Arlo, you and Aura are like the perfect couple. We all just assume it’s only a matter of time before one of you proposes,” Sam said. 

“Aura and I have never even talked about marriage.”

“But have you thought about it?” Sam pressed. 

Arlo sighed. 

“That’s my problem. I think about it  _ too _ much.” 

“Oh? How’s that a problem?” Remi spoke up. 

“Because what if I actually make it into the Flying Pigs? Aura supports me but I don’t know if she’d want to come with me. Marriage would just make it… complicated.” 

The three friends were quiet for a moment. 

“Arlo,” Sam spoke up. “Can I ask you a question and you not get upset?” 

“Of course, Sam. What is it?”

“Well… do you even  _ want _ to join the Flying Pigs anymore?”

Remington spoke up. 

“Not to say that a pretty face is reason to throw away your dream, but we’ve seen the way you’ve changed since you two got together and it seems like your happier here than you were before.” 

Arlo was silent as his thoughts rushed by at a million miles a minute. Joining the Flying Pigs had been his dream his entire life, but… maybe Mali was right. Maybe his dream had changed. He looked up to see his two friends staring at him. 

“Well?” Sam pressed. 

“I think… that I need to go buy that wedding ring.” 

—

Arlo was anxiously waiting under the tree where he and Aurelia had first kissed. He had dropped a letter into Aura’s mailbox last night and asked her to meet him at sunset; He was ready to tell her that he had changed his mind about pursuing the Flying Pigs while simultaneously telling her how much he loved her. Last night after finally admitting that his dreams had changed he had tracked down the Mysterious Salesman and purchased the diamond engagement ring. The masked man hadn’t seemed surprised and had simply reached into his bag to pull out the ring as soon as he saw Arlo approaching. The ring was now safely tucked away in his closet, hidden under winter coats until he was ready to actually propose. Having the ring made him feel so sure of his life plans for the first time ever, and he couldn’t stop a smile from spreading across his face as he imagined the future. 

The sun was just beginning to set when Aurelia appeared. Arlo pulled her into a hug which she returned fiercely, almost as if she didn’t want to let go. 

“I have something to tell you,” Arlo whispered.

He pulled back from the hug ready to declare his literal life-changing love to Aurelia but the words died in his throat when he saw the tears that were streaming down Aura’s face. He placed his hands on her cheeks and tried to wipe her tears but she jerked her head away from him as she began to cry harder. 

“Aura, what’s wrong?? Please, talk to me,” he begged. 

With shaking hands Aurelia reached into her backpack and pulled out a withered branch. Arlo felt like the wind had been knocked out of him as he stared at the gnarled piece of wood.

“Why?” 

Aurelia just shook her head and stared at the ground. 

”It’s for the best, Arlo.”

“No, it’s not. Please, Aura, what did I do?? Please!?” 

Aurelia began to cry harder as she shook her head. 

“No! It’s not you! I promise it’s not you!” 

“Then what is it?” 

“I-I just… We just need different things, Arlo. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” 

“Aurelia…” he reached out to grab her hand but she pulled away. 

“I’m sorry Arlo.” 

Aurelia turned and ran off, the sounds of her sobs the only thing Arlo could hear over his breaking heart. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aureliaaaaaa BB noooooooooooo
> 
> I didn’t love how this chapter came out, so any and all feedback is appreciated!


	12. Mission and Misery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are some spoilers in this chapter, including some dialogue borrowed straight from the game!

The next two weeks were a haze of work, crying, and loneliness for Aurelia. She avoided the town as best she could, even foregoing commissions so she didn’t have to interact with anyone or hear any gossip. She knew by the afternoon of the day after that word had gotten out about the breakup; Sam, Alice, Sonia, and Emily had pounded on her door for at least an hour, asking for Aurelia to let them in and talk with them about what happened. Instead she had stayed curled up in the soft quilt that Arlo had always used whenever he’d sleep over and cried until her friends finally went away. 

After those two weeks of wallowing in her sorrow, Aurelia decided that she needed to be active to keep her mind off of her heartache. Everyday she rose well before the sun, packed some food and drinks in her backpack, grabbed any equipment she might need, and headed to one of the abandoned ruins. She’d become partial to the one in the desert, even though the long walk bred nothing but anger and doubt in her mind. As soon as she’d walk inside the dark, cool interior of the massive cavern she got to work. She mined until well past sundown, until her arms felt like jelly; until she was too exhausted to think about Arlo and wonder if she made a mistake. 

It was a cloudy, rainy morning when Aurelia opened her door to head to the desert and was surprised to see Mali waiting for her. 

“Oh, Mali… Can I help you?” 

“Hello Aurelia. I have a commission for you.” 

“Oh,” Aura replied, frowning. “I’m not accepting commissions right now, I’m sorry.” 

It was Mali’s turn to frown. 

“Unfortunately I can only trust you to carry this out. That Higgins fella is too smug for my taste.” 

Aurelia sighed. She knew working closely with Mali would mean bumping into Arlo, who she hadn’t seen since their breakup. She didn’t know if she was ready to see him and face the guilt she’d been feeling each day despite knowing what she’d done had been for the best. 

Mali seemed to read her mind and interrupted her inner thoughts. 

“I can promise that you won’t see or work with Arlo.” 

Aurelia blushed, but nodded. 

“Ah, yeah, figured you’d know about that…” 

“Word travels fast in a town like Portia,” Mali chuckled sadly. 

“Yeah.”

The two women were silent for a few minutes, lost in their own thoughts, before Aurelia broke the silence. 

“So… what was the commission?” 

—

Aurelia wiped the sweat from her brow as she finished nailing the last ironwood plank of the Western Plateau lift in place. It had been a tough job, but she enjoyed the change of pace it brought from diving in abandoned ruins day in and day out. As she was inspecting the lift to make sure nothing was amiss, Aurelia heard the sound of hooves behind her and froze. 

_ Please don’t be Arlo, please don’t be Arlo, please don’t be-  _

“Aura?” 

It was Sam. Aurelia let out a sigh of relief and turned to her friend. 

“Hi Sam.” 

Aurelia watched as Sam slid off her horse and walked up to her with her arms crossed and a sad look on her face. 

“I’ve been trying to find you to talk for almost three weeks. Where have you been?” 

“I’ve been… busy,” Aurelia said. 

“Busy avoiding everyone in town? People are worried about you.” 

Aurelia winced. She didn’t want to upset her friends, but she didn’t want their sympathy or questions either. 

“It’s just been a tough month, Sam.” 

“I’ve heard.”

Aurelia looked down at the ground, avoiding Sam’s eyes and trying to hold back the tears that had suddenly sprung up. 

“Aura…” Sam moved forward and put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Talk to me. What happened?”

“I…” Aurelia shook her head. “I did what I had to do, Sam.”

“But  _ why _ ?  _ Why _ did you have to?”

“I couldn’t- I mean, I just… it’s hard to explain Sam.”

“I have nowhere to be.” 

Aurelia sighed, the tears now dripping down her cheeks. She managed to shake her head before covering her face in her hands and sobbing as she tried to block out the world and all the memories that came with it. 

—

Arlo laid on his bed and stared at the ceiling, the Flying Pigs training manual lying forgotten on his chest. He had done his best to avoid town as best he could, and spent the time where he wasn’t on patrol doubling down on his training for the Flying Pigs entrance exam. He had taken the breakup as a sign that he shouldn’t abandon his dream of joining the prestigious adventurer’s guild, and the constant training allowed him to clear his mind and focus on improving his fighting techniques. Plus, the exhaustion that came with training so much meant he was too tired at the end of each day to think about Aurelia. But sometimes, in the quiet morning hours or in the silence of midnight his mind wandered back to their breakup and his heart broke a little more. He wanted to talk to Aura more than anything and work things out, maybe salvage their relationship and make it stronger than ever, but he also wanted to respect Aurelia’s decision and leave it be. He wished he had run after her that night, but he’d been so shell shocked that he hadn’t been able to move. He turned his head to look at his closed closet door, where the engagement ring he’d bought was still hiding under his winter coats. He knew the Mysterious Salesman would be back this upcoming weekend and would gladly buy it back, but something- maybe pride, maybe hope- held Arlo back. He looked at his clock and sighed, dragging himself out of bed. He figured that if he wasn’t sleeping now he may as well go for a jog. 

Arlo could feel the first hint of summer in the midnight air and thought back to the previous summer and the beginning of his and Aurelia’s relationship, when he’d been such a fool and rejected her. He remembered how summer had turned into Fall and how their relationship changed in those cool autumn days. He shook his head- he didn’t want to think about any of that. He stopped by Duck Pond to catch his breath and stretch for a few moments, but as he turned towards the Western Plateau he noticed two figures walking towards the lift. Even in the early morning darkness he recognized them- Mali and Aurelia, off to explore some ruin, no doubt. His heart hammered in his chest as he thought about Aurelia in these unexplored hazardous ruins, but he reminded himself that Mali was with her and wouldn’t let anything bad happen. With a sigh he turned away and began his run back to the Civil Corps HQ, and as he ran he hoped that sleep would come easy and would not be plagued by thoughts of Aurelia overwhelmed by AI. 

—

“Alright. Are you ready?” Mali asked. 

“Let’s do this,” Aurelia said, nodding.

Mali grinned.

“I like your spunk, kid. Now remember, there aren't too many dangerous creatures in here, but still, stay close to me and you'll be okay.” 

The two women set off into the unexplored ruin and fought their way through several sets of AI. Aurelia was fairly capable with a sword, but Mali was something else. She could see why Arlo was so eager to train with her now. 

“This is the door that won't open,” Mali said, pointing. “And the motors are over there.”

“Got it,” Aurelia said. 

She made quick work of the engines, but to both women’s disappointment the door remained shut. 

“O...kay, maybe that wasn't it. Drat! There's probably a lock release somewhere, let's go find it.”

Aurelia and Mali walked through the ruin as silently as possible. They cleared a few rooms of AI before Mali cleared her throat. 

“So… you and Arlo?” 

Aurelia stiffened. This was the last thing she wanted to discuss right now, but Mali just stared. 

“It’s… a long story, Mali.” 

“Mhmm.” 

Aurelia said nothing, which made Mali sigh. 

“Y’know, it’s none of my business, but from what I’ve heard around town you two seemed like the perfect couple. Seems strange that you two would break it off so suddenly.” 

“You’re right Mali,” Aurelia said, whirling around. “It  _ is _ none of your business.” 

Mali chuckled. 

“There’s that spunk again.”

The two women entered a room that housed several AI’s and Aurelia was thankful- it was hard to chit-chat while dodging attacks left and right. As the last robot fell to the ground Mali turned towards the younger woman once more, a knowing look in her eyes. 

“Look, all I’m saying is that you weren’t holding him back.” 

Aurelia stopped in her tracks as shock coursed through her. How could Mali know the reason she ended things with Arlo? She hadn’t told anyone, for fear of a conversation like this one happening. Aura shook her head and headed forward without looking at Mali. 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“You can think that all you want, but when you’re ready to listen to reason, look me up.” 

The conversation ended as the two women came upon an old, rusty switch. Aurelia reached forward to turn it on, and the locked door finally opened.

“Would you look at that!” 

“What is it?” Aurelia asked. 

“It's a computer of some sort, and it's preserved pretty well. Maybe it'll even work. Let's see…”

Mali fiddled with the computer for a few moments before stepping back, a look of shock written plainly across her face.

“All Source…?” 

Just then alarm bells rang out.

“Oh brother, it seems like we triggered something, let's get out of here!”

Mali grabbed the computer and ran, with Aurelia following close behind. The two dodged traps and AI before entering a large room that had opened as the exit became blocked off. A large pig-shaped AI immediately began to attack them, and Aurelia was thankful that Mali was there to make quick work of it. Once the robot was defeated the two women exited the ruin, panting and a little bruised, but no worse for wear. 

“We need to take this to the research center, stat. It could be pretty darn important. Get the mayor and the civil corps too- we need them to be aware of this too.” 

Aurelia nodded and moved to run before Mali grabbed her arm. 

“And hey… maybe talk to Arlo after?” 

“Mali…”

“Hey, I’m just saying.”

Aurelia sighed before running off to gather the mayor and the civil corps. Mali seemed like the type of woman who always gets her way, which meant she’d be speaking to Arlo today whether she wanted to or not. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think is going to happen when Arlo and Aura talk? 
> 
> Also, I love Mali. 
> 
> Also x2, I’m using events from the game but I’m not following the in-game timeline/time is just a social construct.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! If you like the story, please feel free to leave comments and kudos- they keep me going! :)


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